The Book of Artemis
by Hitotsune-Kozo
Summary: The sequel to 'Titans Forever.' Both groups of Titans travel to Fanar, and learn many surprising and shocking things. But it's Shadow, the daughter of Raven and Jinx, who learns the most surprising thing of all, and makes a decision that will affect not one but two entire civilizations. Rated M for content.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or its characters, TV show or otherwise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. It will take place within the universe of the TV series (though within my alternate universe), and be after the end of said series as well as the movie Trouble in Tokyo. If you don't like yuri, don't read any further. If you don't like Teen Titans, then I have no idea how you found this story in the first place. Rated M. I do not own the character named Artemis; she is a creation of Echo of an Idiot. He has given me permission to use her in this story, though I have re-imagined her for this purpose. I do, however, own the characters Shadow (daughter of Raven and Jinx), Phase (son of Changling and Lavender), Stinger (son of Cyborg and Bumblebee), Nightfire (daughter of Nightwing and Starfire), and Lavender herself. The character of Shift is the property of DantesClover, and was created specifically for this story. The character of Vulcan is the property of Starbuck Viper. **The Book of Artemis** is a direct continuatioin of **Titans Forever**, which I'm sure all of you will appreciate.

**Author's Note:** I'm glad you guys are really liking this story. It's a lot of fun to write this. I would appreciate some reviews from those of you reading this, since it does take time and effort to keep you fanfic mongers fed. And I know it's been a while since I updated, but think about this before you complain: To keep the same level of quality you've seen to date, time and effort must be put into it; fast updates may mean poor writing. That said, I won't deliberately take my time every time, but I hope y'all will have patience in waiting for the updates to come.

**The Book of Artemis**

**Chapter 1 - To Fanar**

Shadow sat alone in the quarters that Captain Stelgon Cavo'li had provided for her aboard his cruiser, _Path to the Future_. The room was actually very nice, having been done to her tastes. _Before_ she'd even come aboard. She had asked him if everything had been preordained, but he'd shaken his head and told her that only the past is written in stone and the future has no form. And now, seventeen lightyears from Fanar, she was back in her quarters, staring at the ancient book he'd handed to her a few hours after the ship had left Earth's system. They had been alternating between normal space and superluminal travel the entire trip; the reason, according to the good captain, being that gravitational eddies within space-time made faster-than-light travel difficult and dangerous at certain points, though most often around solar systems and wormhole junctures. She hadn't really understood it all, but accepted that constant FTL was dangerous. She'd asked about the book, asked about it's ancient author, but Captain Stelgon had only smiled enigmatically and said that she'd have to read it for herself.

"Wouldn't that change the future?" she had asked him.

"Only if it hadn't already happened," had been his reply. And now here she was, still staring at the book. _Might as well get this over with_, she thought with no little anxiety. Taking a deep breath, she opened the cover-

-and felt her breath rush out of her at the first sentences:

_About time you opened this book, Shadow. Bet you waited almost the entire trip before doing it, too._

Blinking her eyes, she finally closed her mouth and read on.

_I'm not dead, though you already knew that. You knew it the instant that ship exploded. And I bet you're confused as hell at everything that is happening - and what will happen. Nothing will make sense right now, and Captain Stelgon won't say anything, either. Trust me when I tell you that you shouldn't read beyond this page. It _will_ influence your actions and thoughts, which will change what will happen and what has already happened. I'm sorry for confusing you further, but as things unfold you'll understand why._

_After I'd thrown you off the ship, I'd just gotten to that hole into the reactor compartent I'd made when the core blew. I should have died, but the explosion had been contained for so long that its energies had become compressed and actually ripped open a temporal rift. It was only open for a split-second, but that was long enough for me to fall into it. There is so much I want to tell you, so many wonderful and terrible things, but I can't. If I did, as I've said before, it will change everything._

_You were, are, and always will be my best friend. The phrase 'if I hadn't met you, I wouldn't be where I am now' is a little cliche, but true. You gave me a second chance when I didn't deserve one; you gave me two, actually. The first one was that day I saw you at that mall in Jump City for the first time. The second was when you teleported me out of confinement after you'd recovered from me nearly killing you. You have no idea just how much of an impact those chances made on me, but you will._

_One more thing, Shadow. Just one. A simple phrase. It won't make sense now, but when it does you'll know. Here it is:_

_'The key to the future can be found in the past.'_

_I know. Random, weird, and making no sense whatsoever. Trust your instincts._

_I'll see you soon._

_~Artemis_

Shadow closed the cover of Artemis's book, almost not daring to breathe. She couldn't believe what she'd just read, even though something told her every word was the truth. "How is this possible?" she whispered to herself. "Those words . . . the way they were written . . . I _know_ it's Artemis, but it shouldn't be possible." But there was no arguing with the facts. The book was five thousand years old, it was written in English but found on an alien world - and had been written by Artemis.

"Just what is going on?"

"Do you think Shadow is okay, Sweets?" Jinx asked as she readied herself for bed. Raven, already wearing a dark purple chemise and black shorts and sitting in the bed in their quarters, looked up from the book she was reading.

"Honestly? I'm not certain, my love," Raven said. "After all, she watched her friend seemingly die, and had to believe she actually _was_ dead even though she wanted to believe she wasn't. And now she learns that not only is Artemis alive, but she was hurtled back in time to an alien world." Raven sighed, marked her place, and shut the book. "She is holding up better than I thought she would, though she is conflicted and confused."

"Who wouldn't be, with all of that going on?" her wife replied, slipping into the bed.

"But she is our daughter, so I am confident she will overcome this."

"What will happen next?"

"That will all depend upon our arrival at this . . . Fanar."

"I've never been off Earth in my entire life until now," Jinx said as she snuggled up to her wife. Raven chuckled.

"I've been off planet a few times as a member of the Teen Titans," she replied. "I've even been to Starfire's homeworld of Tamaran a couple of times."

"I bet that was confusing."

"It was, I'll admit, but we weren't there for long on either occasion." They fell into a comfortable silence, basking in the serenity and tranquility of being next to their true love.

"I wonder what Fanar will be like," Jinx mused softly.

"Somewhat like Earth, I would guess, since Stelgon is breathing the same air we are and is in the same gravity strength," Raven replied. Then she chuckled. "But to really answer you, I imagine it is a place where technology and nature coexist peacefully and harmoniously."

"What makes you say that?"

"Look at this ship. Just . . . look at it. Everything's smooth and rounded, formed to fit together seemlessly. There's even a botanical section of the ship."

"You mean there's a park on board this thing, with real trees and plants and all?"

"Yes. And its location and presence just seems so . . . natural, so . . ."

"Harmonious?" Jinx said with a smirk.

"Well, yeah."

"I love you."

"No more than I love you."

"And less than we both deserve," they said in unison, laughing.

Nightfire, Vulcan, and Shift were all sharing a cabin together. Shift was already asleep, snuggled up under her blanket - completely under the blanket.

"I'm . . . I'm rather nervous, to be honest," Vulcan whispered into the dark of the room.

"Why are you nervous, friend?" Nightfire asked softly.

"I've . . . I've barely been out of my home town, and now I'm nearly to an alien world," she replied. "It's pretty overwhelming."

"I, too, feel as you do, Vulcan," she agreed. "Even though I have been to Tamaran, my mother's homeworld, twice since I was old enough to travel the stars, but it is an amazing and wondrous experience each time."

"It _is_ wonderful. And scary."

"It is both, friend."

"And is Shadow _really_ responsible for it happening?"

"I do not believe she is responsible for this, but I think she does have a connection to it," Nightfire answered.

"You mean Artemis."

"Shadow did know her better than any of us ever did."

"But time travel? Really?"

"It _is_ possible. Cyborg did it once. And Raven managed to reach _through_ time to get him back - though my mom said it was difficult for her to do."

"I suppose it _could_ have happened to Artemis," Vulcan conceded. "I mean, who knows what was powering that alien ship? Except for them, of course. And considering that we _did_ overload it, and then _kept_ it from exploding could have done something like, I dunno, compress the energies or something. Maybe cause a wormhole?"

"That does make sense, though I am not certain about how it could have happened," Nightfire replied.

"Don't worry; I don't, either."

The next day (ship time), after everyone had woken up, Captain Stelgon Cavo'li invited everyone up to the cruiser's observation bridge. Once everyone was gathered there - there was room on the observation bridge for three times the number of the people currently occupying it - he smiled grandly.

"I believe it is now time for you to see Fanar," he said without fanfare, pressing a button that opened the armored shutters protecting the bridge's 'translucent armor panels.' Everyone gasped as they caught their first sight of the alien (to them) world they had been traveling to for all this time. Fanar was a large and beautiful world, covered with emerald seas and blue and red landmasses. The clouds traveling across the planet's face were an irridecsent amber, and simply added to the effect of making Fanar seem like a beautiful gem hanging in space. They could see space stations, satellites, shipyards, and even what seemed to be orbital fighter bases; but rather than detract from the planet's awe-inspiring nature, they enhanced it, for the artificial satellites were constructed in harmony with the planet. A few smaller ships and even what looked like some fighters were flying in formation with them. No one spoke for a while.

"It's beautiful," Shadow said reverantly. "I . . . I can't think of any other way to describe it, and I know that 'beautiful' doesn't cover the truth of it."

"The fact that you appreciate it is description enough," Stelgon said gently, the smile still on his face.

"And Artemis went here?" Raven asked. "Except five thousand years ago?"

"According to the ancient texts, yes. Which means that all of those orbital facilities, ships, and lunar cities aren't there when she is."

"And those space monkeys, the oodanga, they were around five thousand years ago?" Nightwing inquired. Stelgon nodded.

"Yes," he replied. "About five thousand two hundred years ago, oodanga scout ships - smaller than the one that appeared at Earth - found our world. The fanari were a primitive people back then, of course, but having already discovered fire, the wheel, and metalworking techniques. The oodanga saw us as potential slave labor for their empire, and as cannon fodder for their war machine. And the next two hundred years after those ships found our world, the fanari lived in a very dark time."

"So what happened?" Cyborg asked. "Obviously y'all kicked ass and freed your world, but how?"

"A savior arrived. She was not fanari, but was not oodanga, either. She looked like the fanari, but was different as well. She and another brought scattered groups of freedom fighters together and trained them into first a fighting force, then an army of liberation. They freed village after village, slave camp after slave camp. It was though the gods of the ancient fanari had heard their peoples' cries and answered them. The oodanga attempted to crush the uprising, but could not match the skills and ingenuity of the gods' avatars."

"You said there was a 'savior and one other?' " Shadow asked. "I'm guessing Artemis is one of those two, but who is the other?"

"I wish I could tell you," Stelgon said.

"You don't know?" Nightwing responded.

"I do know, yes. But I am not permitted to say right now. Everything will be revealed in time. Now," he said, clapping his hands together, "I ask that you take your seats for a few moments as we dock with one of the orbital transfer stations. Once we do, all of you - as well as myself - will disembark this ship and take a shuttle down to Aideplo and meet General Kresh Valyr'ka of House Valyr. He is the one who sent me on my mission to bring you here, and is the foremost archaeologist of Fanar."

"An archaeologist is the leader of your military?" Stinger asked incredulously.

"Of course," Stelgon replied. "The Fanari Protectorate Defense Force is only a defensive force - as its name says. We do not use military might or conquest to achieve our ends. Our ships are armed out of necessity, and cannot fire a shot in anger."

"What do you mean?" Jinx asked.

"Programming and hardware restrictions prevent our weapons from being fired unless the computer systems have established hostile intent," he explained. "Our defensive systems - such as electronic jamming arrays and energy shield generators - can be manually activated, of course."

"Remarkable," Raven said. "Pacifistic warriors."

"Precisely," was the answer.

**End Note:** And that's it. The first chapter of the sequel to **Titans Forever**. I'm pretty sure all of you _reviewers_ saw this story coming after you finished reading the prior story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or its characters, TV show or otherwise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. It will take place within the universe of the TV series (though within my alternate universe), and be after the end of said series as well as the movie Trouble in Tokyo. If you don't like yuri, don't read any further. If you don't like Teen Titans, then I have no idea how you found this story in the first place. Rated M. I do not own the character named Artemis; she is a creation of Echo of an Idiot. He has given me permission to use her in this story, though I have re-imagined her for this purpose. I do, however, own the characters Shadow (daughter of Raven and Jinx), Phase (son of Changling and Lavender), Stinger (son of Cyborg and Bumblebee), Nightfire (daughter of Nightwing and Starfire), and Lavender herself. The character of Shift is the property of DantesClover, and was created specifically for this story. The character of Vulcan is the property of Starbuck Viper. **The Book of Artemis** is a direct continuatioin of **Titans Forever**, which I'm sure all of you will appreciate.

**Author's Note:** I'm glad you guys are really liking this story. It's a lot of fun to write this. I would appreciate some reviews from those of you reading this, since it does take time and effort to keep you fanfic mongers fed. And I know it's been a while since I updated, but think about this before you complain: To keep the same level of quality you've seen to date, time and effort must be put into it; fast updates may mean poor writing. That said, I won't deliberately take my time every time, but I hope y'all will have patience in waiting for the updates to come.

**The Book of Artemis**

**Chapter 2 - Fateful Decision**

The trip from the orbital transfer station to Aideplo lasted a couple of hours, but not because of any difficulties; Captain Stelgon took the Titans on a 'flying tour' of Fanar, pointing out several key geological landmarks and several historically important sites. Seeing the planet closer up made it seem more wondrous than it was from space. Everyone was awed, not just by the planet's natural beauty by the harmony of the cities with their surroundings. As they passed over a truncated mountain, Shadow felt a tremor run through her body. She couldn't explain it; it was like a psychic resonance reaching out for her. Looking over at Raven, she saw that her mama felt it, too.

"Captain Stelgon? What is that place?" Shadow asked, pointing at the mountain. He walked out of bridge - leaving just the pilots in there - and went over to Shadow. Leaning over her, he looked at the window and smiled. "That is one of the most important places in the history of the Protectorate. It is called The Ascension Plateau. According to legend, and the Book of Artemis, it is where the savior of the fanari people and her companion vanished after they freed us from the oodanga occupation and helped us to begin establishing what would eventually become the Protectorate." Shadow said nothing; she just looked back out the window, feeling a powerful draw to the ancient site. "We can visit there later, once you've met with General Valyr'ka. If I recall correctly, I think the general is planning on taking you to some of the ancient sites," he added when she didn't speak. There was something important about that place, she could tell.

When the shuttle came to a landing at Aideplo's main spaceport, the Titans found a group of fanari waiting for them. One of which had skin almost like polished blue and light gray hair. The welcoming party met the Titans near the foot of the disembarktion ramp.

"Welcome to Fanar, Teen Titans," the lead one said, giving a slight bow. "I am General Kresh Valyr'ka. It is an honor to meet you all."

"Thank you, General Valyr'ka," Nightwing, returning the bow but a little deeper.

"Allow me to introduce Chief Tor Tol'ney, the leader of the Fanari Protectorate," Kresh said, gesturing to the bronze-skinned, white-haired fanari to his right.

"It is wonderful to meet such figures of legend," Tor Tol'ney said with a smile.

"And this is Defense Minister Lel Vash'yo," he went on, gesturing to the slender fanari woman on his left. She simply nodded and smiled. "Minister Vash'yo can't speak," he added as an explanation.

"Then we have Trade Minister Louke Moza'tra-" Kresh gestured to the other fanari man on his right "-and Archivist Nora Vel'tey." The fanari woman on the right smiled and said, " 'Tis such a great honor ta meet ya." Then all five of them caught sight of Shadow and a silence fell.

"What?" she asked, looking around. Before anyone else could say anything, General Kresh spoke. "You must forgive our reaction," he said. "There is a remarkable resemblance between yourself and an important person in the Protectorate's past."

"Oh," Shadow replied dubiously, not really believing the explanation but unsure of what was being hidden.

"You'll be staying in the Council Governing Hall," Chief Tol'ney said, garnering everyone's attention. "It's nothing extravagent, but I hope it will do."

"That will be more than fine," Nightwing said. "Although we _were_ curious about where we'd be staying."

"We have to return to our duties, unfortunately," Tol'ney said, "but we shall meet again during dinner. Until then, I and the ministers will leave you in the more than capable hands of General Valyr'ka." With a bow to the Titans, Chief Tol'ney and the ministers turned and walked back to the offroad-looking luxury car parked nearby.

"I do apologize if Chief Tol'ney was a bit brief," Kresh said to them.

"You don't need to worry, General," Jinx said. "I imagine governing an alliance comprising every habitable piece of your solar system is difficult work during normal times, much less when there's an impending invasion."

"Yes, there is _that_ to consider," he said with a sigh. "The Oodanga Empire has never forgotten their defeat millennia ago, and is determined to conquer us and return the fanari people 'to their rightful place of subjugation' is what I believe their last declaration said of us."

"Not the nicest neighbors to have," Changling quipped.

"Especially since they don't clean up after themselves when you invite them over," Kresh added, surprising everyone. He chuckled at their expressions. "Though Fanar is an older civilization than Earth, we do have a surprising number of similarities."

"Would you guys have pizza?" Changling asked.

"But of course. We even have it for vegetarians and vegans."

"I hate to interrupt, friends," Starfire put in, "but should we not be deciding on where to go?"

"I would be honored to give all of you a tour of Fanar," Kresh replied. "At least of the important places right now. We won't be able to get to all of them today, though I know that during your descent Captain Cavo'li showed you all of the important historical sites, as that is what he was asked to do."

"So how come an archaeologist is the leader of a military force?" Vulcan asked.

"The armed forces of the Fanari Protectorate are a full volunteer force," the general explained. "One month of Fanar's year is spent entirely on military training and exercises. The rest of the year, we spend one week a month on training, drills, and schooling from early morning to mid-afternoon. As the military is a defensive force as well, our 'soldiers' are expected to have alternate full-time occupations. The 'careerists' are small in number, and generally comprise the oldest members of the armed forces."

"If only Earth's governments could realize what the Fanari Protectorate seems to already know," Cyborg said.

"Your civilization is still young," Kresh reminded him. "Do not lose hope. It only takes a few strong people showing the right example to begin a change. But sometimes such a change takes time."

General Kresh led the group, including Captain Stelgon Cavo'li, to a waiting VTOL of some kind. It was long, low, and sleek. It was obviously designed for speed and mobility, it's smooth design making it look like it was slicing through the air even standing still. It was painted in an ivory and amethyst, with gold and dark blue accents. Gesturing the Titans onboard, Kresh gestured for Stelgon to take the pilot's seat before climbing in after their visitors. Within five minutes of everyone being seated, the VTOL craft, which Kresh said was called a Storvyn, took off and banked towards the left.

"What powers this thing?" Cyborg asked, the tech enthusiast part of him brimming with curiosity.

"A compact durium-solar cell power generator, I believe," Kresh replied. "I'm not too big on the details, since technological development is not my forte. Durium is a naturally-occuring element on one of the planetoids orbiting Nosmirc, the gas giant that occupies the sixth orbital position within the Fanar System. It is similar to the most powerful of Earth's radioactive elements, but is completely non-radioactive. Of course, if the generator's containment is lost there would be a powerful explosion and shockwave, as well as a low-level electromagnetic burst."

"So it's safe and dangerous?" Stinger asked.

"Contradictory but true," the fanari agreed.

"So where are we headed first?" Bumblebee asked.

"To The Ascension Plateau," General Valyr'ka replied matter-of-factly. "Lady Shadow expressed an interest in it to Captain Cavo'li during your descent."

"We don't have to go there first," Shadow said, surprised by the fact.

"It is no trouble at all," Kresh assured her. "It is, perhaps, the best place to start, since it _is_ extremely important to fanari history."

"So where are the windows?" Shift wanted to know.

"The Storyvn was not built with windows, as it was intended to transport and deploy a tactical reaction team for urban operations," he explained. "However, it was provided with two-stage armor modulation along the port and starboard flanks at about head height. What that means is that certain sections of the armor can be altered to translucency, providing windows without compromising the aircraft's protection, which is substantial for this type of aircraft."

"Oh," Shift said. "Cool."

"Would you like to see outside now?" he asked. When all six of the Teen Titans - and some of the New Titans - nodded, Kresh reached over to a control panel near the door and twisted a switch. Right next to each person's head, a section of armor faded from the light maroon shade of the craft's interior to a clear transparency. Looking out the 'windows,' everyone gasped again at the sight of Fanar. Their awe and wonder was greater, now, since they were seeing the planet up close. In spite of the strange (to them) colors of Fanar, the planet was still very beautiful. And every building, roadway, and artificial construct was built naturally and harmoniously with the surrounding environment.

"The cities are so amazing," Nightfire said, her face pressed against the window. A couple of seats behind her, her mother also had her face pressed against the window.

"Even back during the oodanga's occupation of our world, we had believed in living with the land around us, existing in harmony with everything," Kresh said, smiling. "We didn't change that even as our civilization evolved and technology advanced. Any damage we did to the environment was immediately rectified and fixed. We've taken care of our world, and it has taken care of us."

Almost an hour later, the Storvyn was touching down on a landing pad set into the top of The Ascension Plateau. Waiting for them was a fanari woman with dusky brown skin and golden hair with silver streaks, wearing loose-fitting gray clothes and a sand-colored lab jacket.

"Father," she said, hugging General Kresh when he stepped out. "It is so good to see you again."

"And you as well, my daughter," he replied, returning her hug. Upon disengaging himself from the he hug, he saw the confused expressions of the Titans and explained, "This is Salya Valyr'ka, my daughter. You would say she is my 'adopted' daughter, but we fanari make no such distinctions. Blood relations do not matter much to us."

"So what happened to your birth parents?" Shadow asked, her head tilted to one side in curiosity.

"They died in an asteroid accident," Salya explained, coming forward and taking a closer look at Shadow. "An out-of-system micro asteroid collided with the engine module of their asteroid field exploration ship and broke generator containment. General Valyr'ka was a close friend to both of my parents and took me as his daughter." She looked over and smiled warmly at her father. "I was only six at the time. He gave me the freedom to choose my path, but his love for achaeology and unlocking the mysteries of the past to help the present for the future fueled my own love for the same thing."

"How old are you?" Phase asked, earning a cuff to his head from his father.

"That's a little rude to ask someone, son," Changling said.

"I'm not offended," Salya said. "I'm just one hundred twenty-seven, but I've been told I'm a prodigy." That announcement was met with fourteen stunned stares. "What?" she asked.

"You're _just_ a hundred twenty-seven?" Vulcan asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah," she replied, a little confused. "How old did you think I was?"

"Um, seventeen?" Stinger offered. "Maybe eighteen?" Salya laughed.

"Fanari are rather long-lived," she said. "On average, we can expect to live for four or five hundred years. Now, I know you didn't come here to talk about me or how long fanari can live, so let's go on inside and I can show you around."

"You're in charge here, then?" Nightwing asked.

"Oh, yes," Salya confirmed. "Like I said, I've been called an archaeological prodigy."

"Salya is the foremost expert on the Freedom Period, as the time when our people fought the oodanga and threw off the shackles of occupation is called," Kresh explained.

"Others of us call it the Enlightment Period, or the Artemis Period," Salya added as they stepped onto a slightly sunken square near the landing pad. "There are many other names for that period of time, of course; each one dependent upon one's school of thought." The platform shuddered a little, then began descending. The Titans all realized they were on an elevator of sorts, then, but they weren't too surprised; a little hard to be after all that they had seen now. They only descended about ten or so feet when it stopped, but no one really noticed that fact; they were all kind of stunned by the sleek - and harmonious - room before them. Or rooms, rather, when it became evident that the space actually contained a handful of different rooms - but with no walls separating them.

"This level and the three below it were added about a thousand years ago or so," Salya explained. "This level, here, is the administration and living area. What you're looking at is the administration area; that door directly opposite us leads to the living quarters, which also contains a small recreation area." She led the group out into the administration section, exchanging greetings with everyone but waving off update reports and other forms.

"So where are going now?" Phase asked. Shadow was actually quiet right now, which was somewhat out of character for her. The psychic pull she'd felt earlier had only grown stronger, and was now tugging at her, trying to draw her in a specific direction.

"We're headed to the slideways," Salya answered. "They'll take us through the next three levels. The level below this one contains the analysis and monitoring equipment and stations, as well as a few more quarters. We have a permanent staff here of fifty personnel, and everyone has their own rooms. We have a rotating population of roughly seventy-five to a hundred, and most of them reside in the quarters on this level. The third level down contains labs for the preservation, restoration, and repair of any artifacts we find. It's rather extensive," she added as they reached the slideways and stepped on, beginning a gentle spiral down, "since we aren't limited to the artifacts found at this site. Ascension Plateau is the premier artifact preservation and restoration facility within the Fanari Protectorate."

"And what's on the last level?" Jinx asked. Salya looked over at her father, who nodded permission to her.

"It's the temporal facility," she said as the group descended through the third level.

"The what?" Cyborg said, not sure he heard right.

"Level Four is where we monitor temporal, or time, stability," Salya elaborated. "Basically, it's for monitoring and analyzing the time stream. Not just the local one, but the entire stream, since distant events - both temporal- and location-wise - could affect our own timeline."

"What do you do if you detect any 'disturbances'?" Nightwing asked.

"Well," she said as they stepped off the slideway, which began looping around to head back up, "there's nothing we can do, really, to affect or change any disturbances. All we can do is analyze and chart them, working up predictions on potential effects to our temporal location."

"How did you become aware of stuff like that as a possibility, rather simply a work of fiction?" Lavender asked.

"Below this level there is a vast network of tunnels and caverns," she replied. "The majority of them are natural, but a few show evidence of either being made or adapted to travel. The space the Temporal Analysis and Projection Division occupies was originally a moderate-sized cavern that was expanded and adapted for future occupation. No one knows why, and there are no records to indicate what our ancestors' reasons were. Not even the Book of Artemis explains why."

"How many copies are there of that book?" Shadow asked, finally speaking up.

"Enough for each family to have their own, plus enough to occupy libraries and universities and so forth," Salya told her. "But there's only one original copy, which my father had kept." She looked over at the general. "What did you do with it?"

"I gave it to Captain Stelgon to take with him on his mission to retrieve the Titans," Kresh replied. Salya looked over at Shadow.

"Which means you, no doubt, have it," she said. Shadow nodded, to which Salya responded with a smile. "It's only fitting that you have it. A rather strange introduction, I think, though it was excised out of all currently published books. Only the older copies found in universities and some private collections still have it."

"I've been meaning to ask about that," she began, only to have the fanari woman hold up a hand.

"It is not my place to explain that," was the reply. "Even if I knew the reason." By now they had been walking down the series of tunnels deeper into the flat-topped mountain for several minutes. "Back to Lavender's question, there is a massive cavern whose floor is aligned precisely with the base of the mountain, and whose central area is aligned precisely with the center of this particular mountain. We're nearing it now, actually. Within that massive cavern is a structure that earlier archaeologists couldn't identify. About two hundred or so years before I was born, three different researchers in three different disciplines compared their research notes over a lunch or during dinner and came to the same conclusion simultaneously."

"Which was?" Changling prompted.

"It was a time machine," Salya said as they entered the cavern and saw the structure for themselves. Everyone's jaws dropped at the site. Before them, in the exact center of the massive space, was a bunch of stone pillars and beams arranged in seemingly random yet geometrically precise patterns. In the center of that was a narrow, vertically-oriented stone circle. It was set within another narrow stone circle that was laid out horizontally onto the floor.

"We don't know what, exactly, powers it," she went on as she led everyone down a flight of stone stairs and towards the strange and wonderous structures, "but it is reminiscent of the durium-solar conduction process used in our modern day power generators. It uses some form of geothermal magnetism instead, though. From what we can determine, it provides the same output as modern generators but without the dangerous effects of containment failure."

"And when was it built?" Raven inquired.

"Roughly five thousand years ago, give or take," Salya explained. She went on talking, but her words and everyone else's faded from Shadow's consciousness. All she could do was stare at the sight before her. _This_ was the source of the psychic pull, she knew. _A time machine_, she thought. _It's a time machine. And if what I've been told is true, Artemis is in Fanar's past, around the same time that this thing was placed together._ Then her eyes widened as she recalled the first page of the introduction in the Book of Artemis: _"The key to the future can be found in the past."_ Suddenly, she knew what she had to do. As everyone else followed Salya as she walked around the structures and explained the possible function each one had, Shadow took a different path, her mind following the pull of whatever force had drawn her to this spot. At certain points the psychic energy was intense, and she'd examine the symbols carved there. The language with the symbols wasn't any known human language, nor was it from any of the examples of ancient fanari writing she'd been shown before.

But she recognized each marking, each word, as part of the language of the monks of Azarath. A language, both written and spoken, that her mother Raven had taught her. And then she had it. The key that Artemis had alluded to in her cryptic 'letter' at the front of what had been her journal. She smiled, because the phrase was so obvious to her now. It was one that she, and Raven, were both intimately familiar with.

_Tonight_, she thought, _I am coming back here. And I am going to go find Artemis, and help her save the fanari. No matter what._

**End Note:** Well, there you have it, folks. The end of the second chapter. I must say, this chapter worked out very well for me. It covered a lot of ground, and explained a lot of things - without explaining too much, lol. So we have a 5,000-year-old time machine, with instructions in a language that doesn't exist in this particular corner of the universe, put there by someone roughly five millennia before they were born. Talk about a circular path.

And do review this chapter if you've read to this point - of which I have no doubt you have.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or its characters, TV show or otherwise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. It will take place within the universe of the TV series (though within my alternate universe), and be after the end of said series as well as the movie Trouble in Tokyo. If you don't like yuri, don't read any further. If you don't like Teen Titans, then I have no idea how you found this story in the first place. Rated M. I do not own the character named Artemis; she is a creation of Echo of an Idiot. He has given me permission to use her in this story, though I have re-imagined her for this purpose. I do, however, own the characters Shadow (daughter of Raven and Jinx), Phase (son of Changling and Lavender), Stinger (son of Cyborg and Bumblebee), Nightfire (daughter of Nightwing and Starfire), and Lavender herself. The character of Shift is the property of DantesClover, and was created specifically for this story. The character of Vulcan is the property of Starbuck Viper. **The Book of Artemis** is a direct continuatioin of **Titans Forever**, which I'm sure all of you will appreciate.

**Author's Note:** I'm glad you guys are really liking this story. It's a lot of fun to write this. I would appreciate some reviews from those of you reading this, since it does take time and effort to keep you fanfic mongers fed. And I know it's been a while since I updated, but think about this before you complain: To keep the same level of quality you've seen to date, time and effort must be put into it; fast updates may mean poor writing. That said, I won't deliberately take my time every time, but I hope y'all will have patience in waiting for the updates to come.

**The Book of Artemis**

**Chapter 3 Part 1 - Blast From the Future**

Shadow's behavior the rest of the day made everyone suspicious, even if they weren't certain why. Well, everyone except the fanari who seemed not to notice - or if they did, they didn't care. Raven and Jinx, especially, were worried about her. She was acting strangely subdued, not at all like her usual self - even taking into account how she'd been acting after Artemis's 'death.' It was as though she had a secret, or had learned something she was keeping secret. Whenever she was asked if she was alright, her reply was always, "I'll be fine soon. Don't worry about it." As worried as they were about her, Shadow's parents didn't press her, trusting her to make the right decision. What they didn't know, what no one knew, was that she already had. General Kresh took the Titans to three more historical sites, as well as the massive bowl-shaped 'crater' that served to hold the Fanari Protectorate's once-a-year, two-week-long Freedom Day Celebration. It was massive enough to hold a three-thousand-seating crescent auditorium, and a few kilometers-long green fields for various events and so forth. As Fanar's sun, Hylath, began sinking below the horizon, the Storvyn settled down on the landing pad at the Council Governing Hall. Members of the hall's staff led the Titans to their rooms, which had already been prepared for them while they were on tour. When asked how they had known how to furnish the rooms, General Kresh said the information had been passed to the Council Governing Hall while they were all on descent to the spaceport.

Freshening up in their suite's in-room bathroom - which seemed about as big as the common room back in Titan Tower - Jinx was still thinking about her daughter.

"I'm still worried about her, Sweets," she said to Raven, who was now toweling off after a nice, luxurious bath. Her black-haired wife wrapped the towel around her body, then walked up to her and wrapped her arms around the pink-haired woman.

"I am, too, dear," Raven agreed. "There's something different about her."

"She's been acting strangely ever since that orbital 'tour'," Jinx went on. "And even more so since the visit to Ascension Plateau."

"I can explain that one," was the reply as Raven disengaged herself from her wife and began drying her hair.

"Well?"

"There's a psychic resonance there. Some kind of . . . I don't know, compulsion or pull. I could feel it, but I think it was more intense for Shadow. I think it may be tied to her in some way."

"How? She's never been here, never even _heard_ of this place until now."

"I can't explain it, my love," Raven said apologetically. "Whatever resonance is there, it wasn't directed to me so I don't know what, exactly, is going on. And Shadow won't say."

"As much as I want to know," Jinx began, "and as worried as I am about her, I'm not going to push it until she's ready to tell us."

"I agree," Raven told her, removing the towel and heading out the suite's bedroom (the suite was more like a multi-room apartment or penthouse than a single room) and looking through the closet. "To be honest, I think whatever resonance is at Ascension Plateau has been pulling at Shadow ever since we arrived in this system."

Chief TorTol'ney hosted dinner, as expected, with General Kresh Valyr'ka sitting at his right hand. Surprising everyone, he invited Shadow to sit in the place of honor at his left hand.

"Although it is just myself, the general, and you Titans," Tor said, "this dinner is going to be done formally, although it will be informal. What I mean by that is that the dinner will be the five courses of a formal dinner, but everything else will be informal. Dinner conversations are not only expected with we fanari, they are encouraged."

"So I take it that the first course, maybe the first two courses, will be appetizers?" Lavender asked.

"Very correct, yes," the leader of the Fanari Protectorate confirmed. "Then the main meal will be two courses, followed by a lovely dessert."

"You didn't have to go to all of this trouble for us," Raven replied.

"It was no trouble at all," he assured her. "Earth and Fanar are so similar - remarkably so, I must say - that there weren't really any dietary hazards to consider. Just everyone's individual tastes."

All conversation stopped for a moment as the first appetizer course was brought in. There was a wide variety of 'finger food' available to eat. A lot of it looked exotic, though quite a few of the dishes available were very familiar. The following conversations mainly involved the Teen Titans (minus Shadow) talking excitedly about everything they'd seen, the trip from Earth to Fanar, and the 'retired' New Titans chiming in about their views. All the while, Shadow just sat quietly, eating her food. Tor Tol'ney said that the Governing Council was wanting to hold a ceremony welcoming the Titans to Fanar, while Kresh Valyr'ka said that he'd received several reports from the monitoring stations on the system's edge about trace readings belonging to oodanga starships. And while that was disquieting news, it didn't put a damper on the dinner. Nobody ate too much of one course - except for Changling, Cyborg, Phase, and Stinger - in order to save room for all of the courses. And the dessert was as promised. It was a native fanari dish that seemed like a combination of chocolate mousse, chocolate ice cream, and turtle pie. Tor Tol'ney laughingly asked a second course of dessert to prepared when he saw how well the dessert was received.

Later, most everyone ended up heading to their rooms for the night. Raven was directed to one of the hall's libraries, and Jinx tagged along, mostly to keep her wife company but also out of curiosity. Shadow went to her room, which was smaller than her parents', of course, but still larger than she'd ever seen. She knew that her mothers at least suspected something was out of the ordinary with her, and that Raven undoubtedly had an inkling of what it might be. But no one had pressed her too hard about it at all, which made her course of action both easier and harder to follow through with, and for the exact same reason: because she wouldn't have to argue or fight with anyone about what she was going to do.

Back in her room, she took off the clothes she'd worn for dinner, and slipped into an outfit she'd put together when she was getting ready for dinner: black capri pants with one-inch slits cut into the cuffs at the end of the legs, a dark pink three-quarter-length sleeved shirt with a moderately plunging v-neck, a dark blue (nearly black) sleeveless waistcoat that actually went very well with the top, elevated heeled black boots with buckles up and down the sides, and a black hooded knee-length duster. She didn't know why she'd put this outfit together, but she trusted her instincts. She checked her pink-and-black hair, and liked its new length; she'd unintentionally let her hair grow out longer than normal after Artemis had disappeared, and had gotten it cut and trimmed into a short, spikey style that was edgy and punkish. She especially liked the combination of the hair with the outfit she was wearing. She went to her suite's door and opened it, peeking out and looking down both sides of the hallway. Seeing no one, she shut the door again - and locked it this time. She knew that once she'd begun building the energy she'd need to teleport, her mama would sense it and probably teleport into the room, bringing Jinx with her. Which meant that she'd have to work quick.

Moving to the exact center of the room, she settled herself into a meditative pose, levitating herself above the floor. Closing her eyes, she began chanting the same meditative phrase she'd been taught by her mama. She cleared her mind, and focused only on the cavern within Ascension Plateau, the one that contained the 'time machine.' Right as she began opening a portal between where she was and where she wanted to go, she sensed Raven reaching out for her, and getting ready to teleport herself. _Go_, she thought, and sank into the floor-

-right before Raven, with Jinx in tow, teleported _into_ her room and found her gone.

From the moment she sank into the portal to the moment she rose out of it in the cavern's floor, no time at all had passed for Shadow. Yet she had crossed virtually half a world. Blinking her eyes as they adjusted to the unlit darkness of the massive space, she looked around, comparing the barely visible shapes to what she had observed and memorized earlier. Realizing where she was, she began walking to the center of the cavern. The moment she stepped away from the wall, though, the entire place lit up brighter than day. _Motion activated lighting system_, she thought. _Must be very sensitive, or have activators located nearly everywhere._ She was grateful for it, though, as it allowed her to see where she was going now. And right about then an alarm began sounding.

"Hytal nosh!" she heard someone shout. It wasn't English, she could tell that easily; more than likely, it was a local fanari dialect. It probably meant 'stop' or something like that, she decided. Not that she intended to listen if that's what it meant. Apparently, whoever it was must have realized that she wasn't a fanari, for the next command was in English: "I said stop right there."

"Stay out of my way," she said softly, but loud enough to be heard. She heard running, too, and getting closer. Sighing, she knew what was going to happen, just as she knew what she would have to do. Right before anyone could lay a hand on her - from what she could tell, there were at least four people coming after her - she turned around and blasted them with bursts of pink and black energy, sending them flying backwards.

"I'm sorry," she told them, even as she turned around to where she was intending to go. There were others around the cavern, but no one was close enough to stop her in time. And even her mom wouldn't be able to gather everyone together in time to teleport them here. _I have time to do what needs to be done_, she thought. _I should keep everyone up in the research station from being able to get down here._ As she walked through the various structures, heading towards the two ciruclar structures in the center, she focused a sphere of demon-hex magic in her left hand and blasted the only entrance into the cavern from the top. That would buy her some time.

"What the hell is she thinking?" Nightwing asked when Raven and Jinx informed everyone of what had happened.

"I don't even know where she went," Raven snapped back. "So just back off, or I'll start bringing up your old name."

"This fighting is unnecessary," Kresh said, walking into the room just before anyone else could speak. "Where she went isn't a mystery, nor is the why."

"You mean you know where she went?" Jinx said suspicously. "Just how would you know that?"

"Because it's written in the Book of Artemis."

"Say what?" Changling said, shocked.

"How do you think we knew Earth's exact galactic location?" Kresh asked rhetorically. "Or how we knew just when to send Captain Stelgon to reach your world when he did?"

"You mean it's a book of prophecy?" Nightwing asked.

"Not precisely. A book of prophecy wouldn't cover or detail specific events. The Book of Artemis is, literally, the journal of Artemis. The same Artemis that was friends with _your_ daughter," he added, looking at Raven and Jinx.

"So everything you said about 'the savior's companion' and all . . . was about _Shadow_?" Raven said, stunned.

"Absolutely. The first page of the book, the introduction, had stated that Shadow wasn't to read past that page," Kresh said. "It was to prevent her from learning about what was going to happen, which might have caused the future - our present - to change."

"How is she going to go back in time?" Raven demanded. "And where did she go?"

"The one place that she was meant to go."

"Ascension Plateau?"

"That _is_ a temporal translation device," Kresh informed them. "And it _does_ work. According to the Book of Artemis, the instructions written on it for its use . . . are written in the language of a world called Azarath."

"Oh, shit," Raven and Jinx said in unison.

Shadow was sitting in the exact center of the time machine, in the exact center of the cavern. She was levitating herself, meditating to gather herself together and clear her mind more than it had been before. According to the words written on parts of the stone 'walls' of the time machine's structure, she needed an absolutely clear mind to accomplish this. She wasn't big on time travel and everything associated with it, but she did know that location wasn't important, since where the time machine was located was where she would end up when she left the time stream.

_"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,"_ she chanted softly. _"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath Metrion, Zinthos."_ Shadow could feel the energy gathering and swirling around her, passing through her and feeding into the structures around her. She could _feel_ a connection opening up between her and the time machine. The vertical circle above her, and the horizontal one underneath her, began rising up out of their indentions in the cavern's floor and rotating spherically around her. Electricity and energy began crackling through the air. The stone circles rotating around her began picking up speed, and the other structures in the space began with an eerie pink-black light - like her own demon-hex energy.

_"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos,"_ she continued chanting, unable to stop now - even had she wanted to. Everything was too far along to be stopped, and she was committed to her path.

"We're too late," Raven whispered as the Storvyn whispered through the night air at its maximum speed.

"What?" Jinx asked, staring at her.

"We're too late," she repeated. "Even if we got there in the next few _seconds_, it's gone too far. We can't stop it."

"Nor is it your place to," Kresh said gently. "Even if this present wasn't at stake, it still would not be your place to stop what is happening."

"I know," Raven said, a tear trickling down her cheek. A tear that Jinx reached across to brush away. "We raised to be able to make her own decisions, to accept the consequences of them. I just . . . I just she would've talked to us about this. We could have helped her."

"I'm certain you would have been able to help her," the fanari general agreed. "But that would have altered history, and the past cannot be altered."

"But isn't that she's doing?" Bumblebee asked.

"No. She's _making_ history. The Fanari Protectorate's past has already happened, and both Artemis and Shadow played a prominent role in it. Which means that her decision to go back in time had happened before she made it."

"That's making my head hurt," Changling groaned.

"Time travel never makes sense," Kresh agreed. "For our past to have happened as it did, the present would've had to happen. And so on, a circular argument that would never make sense - except for the fact that it did happen."

"Just remember, Rae, that Shadow's a Teen Titan," Cyborg said, drawing everyone's attention. "As I recall, back in our Teen Titan days, we could accomplish the impossible. Remember when I was dragged back in time, and ended up helping to free an entire civilization? One of the books you had was a history of that period of time, and it showed me in it. And for that book to have been written, what was in it would have to have already occured. Both you and Jinx are bad-asses that not even other-dimensional demons would want to mess with on a whim. Shadow is y'alls daughter, however she came to be. I think a race of space monkey conquerors five thousand years ago won't stand a chance."

"Especially since her friend Artemis is in that time as well," Starfire put in.

The pink-black glow in the room was nearly too intense to look at when the Storvyn touched down at Ascension Plateau - which was the same time that the blockage to the cavern was fully cleared. Everyone raced down to the cavern as fast as possible, arriving in time to see the glowing structures begin pulsing. A strong and fast wind was whipping through the massive space, which would have been impossible in normal circumstances. And in the center of this 'storm' was Shadow, levitating within two eye-blurringly whipping stone circles. Her chant was echoing throughout the space, more felt than heard. When everyone reached the cavern floor, they found it impossible to get near the stone time machine; it was as though some mystical force was preventing anyone from coming within a certain distance. They could only watch in shock and awe at the scene unfolding before them, as pinkish-black energy discharges shot through the space.

"Shadow!" Raven shouted, but her cry went unheard by her daughter.

_"AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS!"_ Shadow shouted one last time, and a blinding explosion of pink-black light caused everyone to turn away with their eyes shut. When they could look again, everything was settling down.

And Shadow was gone.

When Shadow opened her eyes, she found herself in the same place she'd been in when she had closed them. But there was one major difference: the stone structures of the ancient time machine were gone. In their place was a massive, empty space.

"It worked," she said, her voice echoing through the space. She began laughing. "It worked!" Then what she said actually penetrated her thoughts. "Oh, shit, it worked." Looking around, she found the entrance to the cavern that Kresh Valyr'ka had told her - and her friends and family - about and headed towards it. Walking down the tunnel, she had a little time to think. She knew everyone she'd left behind (_Or would that be ahead?_ she asked herself) would more than likely be upset with her for doing this - or at leas for not telling them about it. She felt a pang when she realized that her moms might be hurt by her not confiding in them about her decision, but it _had_ been her decision. One that only she could make. Nearing the end of the tunnel, she saw, to her surprise, light shining outside it. Running, she burst out into a bright, Fanar morning. Her breath was swept away by the breathtaking landscape before her. It wasn't nearly the same one that she had left behind in the present - the future now - but close enough that she could recognize some things.

"Five thousand years of time, give or take, can _really_ do a number on the terrain," she said to herself. She began walking down the gentle slope leading to the grassland below her. "Now," she asked herself, "if I were Artemis and I was sucked through an intertemporal wormhole into the past of a planet I'd never heard of due to the explosion of an alien starship's power generator, where would I go?" She grinned, knowing her friend.

After a few hours of walking, with the sun now overhead, Shadow decided to take a small break next to a meandering stream. Strange birdlike animals flitted through the air, their strange warbling voices giving the grassland a peaceful feel. She kneeled down next to the stream and cupped her hands, taking a sip of water before it leaked out. It was crisp and pure, and had a natural sweetness to it that the water back on Earth didn't. Settling back onto her legs, Shadow closed her eyes and breathed deep, smelling air that was free of the traces of civilization. It was so different even from Fanar's present/future. _Even though I know that in the future Fanar will be free of the oodanga, right now they aren't_, she thought. _And just because I know that doesn't mean something can't happen to alter that. This is my present now, not someone else's past. And I've got to find Artemis. I don't know how long she's been in this time, or if she's even arrived yet._ She winced. _Time travel shit is so confusing._ Sighing, she was about to stand up when a thought occurred to her. Feeling stupid, she changed position until she was sitting lotus-style, then began meditating. She waited until she'd cleared her mind before trying to focus on the familiar hot-cold spark that was the unique feel of Artemis's aura.

"Got you," she whispered, opening her eyes with a smile. Then she stood up and began walking in the direction that Artemis seemed to be.

Night was falling, and Shadow had covered more than half the distance she needed to. She didn't mind the walking, even if it did involve going up and down hills a lot. She could have flown there, since it would have been much faster, but she wanted to enjoy the experience. And she wanted to camp out under the stars at least once; even growing up at the monastery, she'd had a room inside to sleep in. And sleeping out on the roof at Titan Tower just wasn't the same as actually camping. The are she was now in was slightly forested - there were some trees and deadfall around, with indications that it would turn into an actual forest soon (she could see it only a little further away). Gathering sticks and twigs togther, she pulled up enough grass to make a small clear patch and used her magic to light a small fire. Carefully feeding it and shielding it, she managed to get to catch. She collected some bigger sticks, small fallen limbs, and even a couple of medium-sized logs for the fire. It wasn't cold, but she could tell that the night would be somewhat chilly and wanted to avoid getting sick.

As she sat there watching the flames, Shadow felt a heart-wrenching pang of homesickness. She missed everyone, even Phase, who had stopped being so nice to her. She knew why, of course; or at least, she thought she did. She'd only had a crush on him, and they'd even gone on a few dates, but nothing ever clicked for her, had given her that certainty. He blamed Artemis for the break-up, which was just stupid as far as she was concerned. It hadn't been Artemis's fault at all. Nightfire was and always would be her best friend and sister. She actually missed the half-alien's eternal cheerfulness and boundless optimism. Stinger was cool, what with his habit building gadgets that could do anything, even the absurd (who even _wanted_ a self-cleaning toothbrush cleaner?). She missed the adults, too, though her parents most of all. This was the first time she _wasn't_ around at least one person she'd grown up with.

She'd actually started falling asleep, staring at her fading fire, when she heard a strange sound. Then it became several. Snapping her head, she found herself on her feet and moving towards the source of the sounds before her mind had caught up to what was going on. _It sounds like weapons fire of some kind_, she guessed, propelling herself into the air and flying towards the sounds. It wasn't too long before she could see purple and bright blue flashes of light, appearing in concert with the strange whooping sounds. _That definitely_ isn't_ fanari tech. They shouldn't have anything like lasers or particle guns or whatever - _unless_ they'd stolen them from the oodanga!_ Landing atop a thick upper branch in a tall tree nearby, it didn't take her long to learn the situation. A small group of fanari were hiding behind rocks and improvised fortifications made from fallen trees, firing oodanga blasters at a much larger group of oodanga soldiers. They were in armor, but it wasn't anything like what the oodanga onboard the ship that had come to Earth had worn; only the monkey-like faces and monkey-like hoots of triumph allowed her to make the connection between the two. She was about to intervene when she noticed the ground between the two sides beginning to frost over. _It's nowhere _near_ cold enough for _that_ to be happening_, she realized, her eyes widening and an idiotic grin growing on her face as she figured out the only possible explanation. Right on cue, she heard the faint but sharp cracking of trees becoming too cold, right before the logs between the oodanga soldiers and the fanari freedom fighters exploded. A bit of the shrapnel dispersed towards the oodanga, but most of it absorbed the more accurate laser fire of the space monkeyes.

Then she saw Artemis stand up and wave the fanari forward, while the oodanga recovered from the unexpected move. But they recovered faster than was obviously expected, and a couple of the fanari were cut down as they and everyone else dived for cover that was nonexistent. Shadow cupped her hands and formed two hex spheres in her hands, infusing them with demon magic. She snapped her arms up and forward, slapping her hands together with her forefingers extended. "Boom," she said as the forcibly compressed hex spheres were channeled through her fingers and blasted out. With a high-pitched banshee-like wail, the black-tinged pink 'cone' of energy slammed into the oodanga position and exploded with tremendous force, tossing the fanari - and Artemis - backwards a few feet. After a few seconds, they began climbing back to their feet. The oodanga, though, wouldn't be getting up again; she had aimed (and powered) to kill.

"Your aim sucks, Shadow!" Artemis shouted, relief and no small amount of shock and surprise in her voice.

"Hey, it missed your dumb ass, didn't it?" she shouted back, still grinning like an idiot. Taking off from the tree, she flew over and landed in front of her. She only had a second before Artemis rushed her, throwing her arms around the pink-and-black-haired Titan in a tight embrace. Shadow returned the hug with equal force and whispered, "I knew you hadn't died."

**Chapter 3 Part 2 - Hope Delivered**

The reunion was short-lived for the moment, as Artemis broke out of the hug and ordered the fanari to grab whatever weapons and gear they could carry as fast as they could. Shadow jumped in to help, wanting to catch up with her friend but knowing that getting out of the area before reinforcements showed up.

"I can teleport us out of here," Shadow said as she watched some of the fanari rebels rig up stretchers for the injured and dead.

"Don't you need to be familiar with a place or someone there to do that accurately?" Artemis replied.

"You've been there, right?"

"Duh. I should, having helped set it up."

"Well, describe it to me as best you can, and I can get everyone as close as possible."

"Can you do this many people?" Artemis asked, concerned.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I've never really teleported more than the team at once. But if I don't at least try, then a lot more fanari could die."

Artemis hesitated, torn between saving the lives of freedom fighters and wanting to make sure that Shadow didn't get hurt. Finally, she nodded but added, "Just be careful. I don't want to see my best friend get hurt if I can help it."

"And you're just dying to find out how I managed to travel through time, aren't you?"

"Well, that, too, but I'd rather you be okay than find that out."

"We're Teen Titans; risk is part of our job description," Shadow replied. "Give me just a moment to gather the energy for it."

"You got it," Artemis replied, turning and heading towards her troops. As the pink and black-haired Titan sat down in a lotus position, she heard Artemis telling everyone to gather around their new ally. At least, that's what she assumed she was telling them; she didn't speak _modern_ Fanari, much less a five-thousand-year-old dialect. But her guess was confirmed when weapons and fanari began gathering around her.

"So can I ask how long you've been here?" Shadow asked when Artemis came back.

"A few months, I think; time's pretty different here compared to home," she replied.

"And you already speak the language?"

"Well, the local dialect in this region, anyway. I had to have a fast learning curve, you know."

"I imagine so. Anyways, I'm ready to try this." Artemis nodded, still obviously uncertain but trusting her friend. Shadow took a deep breath, and slowly let it out.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she began chanting slowly. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

"Tomash go vae?" one of them asked.

"Yorsah whae tohrn Gal vyn," Artemis replied. _I've got to learn this language_, Shadow thought. She extended her awareness into the portal she was summoning, expanding it to take in the gathered group. She then fixed Artemis's description of their destination firmly in her mind and linked the image with the portal, opening a new one at (or at least near) where they were going.k

"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she finished, and a black-and-pink dome rose up and enveloped the group-

-depositing them only a few hours from the freedom fighters' hidden village.

"Not bad," Artemis said, impressed. The fanari were looking around in awe and wonder - and a little fear. Shadow stood up shakily, then dropped down to her knees in exhaustion.

"See?" she said, breathing hard. "Told you . . . I could do it."

"Looks like it took a lot out of you, though," the blue-haired girl said, offering a hand to her friend. Gratefully, Shadow accepted the help - though she was surprised when Artemis drew the arm around her neck.

"I'll help you out," she added. Shadow wasn't in a position to refuse it. Looking at the fanari freedom fighters, Artemis said, "Detr yal sovka." The fanari nodded and began wrapping the weapons up in bundles with rope and rigging straps to where that could be worn on the back.

"Nish'fohr rahn," she told them, and - weapons at the ready - moved out.

It _would_ normally have taken them a few hours to get to the village, but someone had seen the pink and black swirling dome appear in the night and had sounded the alert. The party had been traveling for only an hour before scouts from the village met up with them. Shortly thereafter, carts were sent for, drawn by fast six-legged animals that looked like giant, furred lizards. The weapons were carefully loaded into one cart, still bundled - and the dead were placed in the same cart. The surviving rebels, along with Artemis and Shadow, sat in the other cart. Now that she had chance to rest from the effort of teleporting so many people and objects over such a distance, Shadow found herself marveling at the changes that had come over Artemis. The girl's naturally blue hair (at least, she _assumed_ it was natural) was now long but drawn into an arching pony-tail; unbound, it looked like it would come down to just below her waist. She looked leaner now, too; probably as a result of the physical activity she had to undertake as a rebel leader. Artemis looked over at her and smiled.

"So, ready to tell me how you got here?" she asked. Shadow struggled to contain her giggles, but didn't quite succeed. "What?"

"I used a time machine," was the answer.

"A time machine."

"Absolutely."

"And where did you find a time machine?"

"On Fanar. Five thousand or so years from now."

"Wow. They became _that_ advanced in five thousand years?"

"Not exactly."

"You're confusing me."

"Time travel is confusing anyways," Shadow told her, finally calming down. "No, this was an ancient time machine."

"No shit?" Artemis replied, shocked.

"No shit. The Fanari Protectorate dated it as being about five thousand years old."

"Damn! You mean someone from right now creates a time machine?"

"Not . . . exactly."

"Spill."

"We do."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly that. Some time from now, you and I create a time machine."

"How do you know it's us that does it?"

"The 'how-to' instructions were written in the language of Azarath."

"Oh." Artemis thought for a moment, then asked, "So you really came here in a time machine?"

"I was _sent_ here _by_ a time machine."

"How did you know when to come?" At that question, Shadow's gray skin flushed as she became embarrassed, something that Artemis found a little cute (something that actually surprised her).

"I, um, followed your aura," the young Titan replied, studying her feet. "And . . . I, um, you know, _wanted_ to find you."

"Miss me that much, Sunshine?" Artemis said, her tone playful. _You have no idea_, Shadow thought but didn't say.

"Just a little," she conceded, earning a chuckle. "My turn now. Just how did you come to be leading a rebellion against the oodanga?"

"Well, when that explosion in the ship occured," she began, her voice going soft and her eyes distant, "it wasn't just a sudden flash and I was here; it was like tumbling through a dryer set on a high spin rate, with the dryer being a very long tunnel. I ended up falling into a one-sided battle between some oodanga soldiers and a small group of fanari 'rebels'."

"Wait, wait. You mean the fanari are _already_ fighting against the oodanga?"

"Well, duh. They've been in rebellion for the past two or three generations. They don't have a prophecy or anything concerning my coming; but they did have a wiseman who predicted, at the start of their enslavement, that a stranger from a distant land would come to aid their struggle."

"You fit that to a 't,' Artemis."

"And how's that?"

"No one's stranger than you," Shadow said, bursting out in laughter. She got a punch to the shoulder, but she didn't stop laughing and, soon, Artemis joined her.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," she agreed. "Anyways, after I helped them win I was brought to the village we're heading to and met with their chief. I didn't understand a word anyone said, nor did anyone understand me. He understood the difficulties, though, and simply drew pictures in the dirt. That's how I communicated for the first couple of weeks, until I was given a language primer. One for little kids just learning their letters and phonics." She tapped her chin in thought before adding, "I still have it, so you can use it to help you out."

"I'd really appreciate that."

"To wrap this all up, since we're almost there," she went on, "I became the 'war leader' for the fanari freedom fighters because I actually knew how to fight, and I had a good head for tactics. As we began acquiring the oodanga 'lightning sticks,' I began setting up training courses and firing ranges, drawing on my rather short time as a Teen Titan."

"They probably wanted to put the whole thing in your lap, though, right?"

"I'll say they did; but I'm not a leader. I'm just a girl who was dumped into a situation she wasn't really prepared for."

"Maybe that's how you started, but you look like you're growing into the role."

"Thanks," the reluctant savior said, squeezing her friend's hand. "I've really missed you, you know."

"Yeah," the half-demon girl agreed, but before she could say more a loud cheer stopped her. Looking ahead, she was stunned to see fanari of all colors and ages rushing out of the village, shouting and whooping and dancing with joy. Artemis leaped out of the cart and was immediately embraced by the crowd. It was obvious to Shadow that everyone here loved her, and definitely appreciated her. Everyone fell silent, though, when she stepped off the cart. She did understand why they did; after all, she looked _way_ different than any fanari - or even Artemis.

"Slorta val eroh tal Shadow," she said. She looked back at her. "I just told them you are my good friend Shadow." Shadow smiled a little hesitantly and gave a little wave. Then a man stepped out of the crowd. Even if his clothes hadn't told her, his bearing did; this man was the chieft of the village. He and Artemis began a rapid-paced discussion in the local fanari dialect before the man turned to her.

"Greetings, Lady Shadow," he said in accented but very fluent English. "I am Chief Kalt Valyr, the leader of this village. Artemis has explained to me that you are a trusted friend of hers from the same land."

"That is true, Chief Valyr," Shadow replied, concealing her shock at his surname. "She is my most trusted friend, one that I would give my life for without a thought or hesitation."

"That is good to hear," the chief said with a smile, "though hopefully such a declaration won't need to be proven. Come, you are welcome here." She, with Artemis at her side, followed the tall fanari chief into the village as the joyous exaltation resumed. He gave a brief tour of the village which ended at the house that had been given to Artemis.

"You'll be staying with me, Shad," Artemis told her as the chief took his leave of the two girls.

"I'm surprised that this village is so . . . permanent," she told her friend as they walked through the door and Artemis used her power to heat up and light the candles in the entryway.

"It's been hidden from the oodanga since they arrived and enslaved the planet," Artemis said, her bitterness evident. And Shadow could understand completely. "The local building material is actually thermally and acoustically resistant, and since it's been built in complete harmony with the terrain - eliminating any unnatural edges and shapes - it's made this place virtually impossible to find by any scanning methods the oodanga have."

"That's pretty damn amazing," Shadow said as Artemis led the way through the one-story dwelling. They arrived at what was obviously the bedroom.

"I, um, only have one bed," the blue-haired girl said in embarrassment. "I can, you know, take the couch-"

"Hell, no! This is _your_ house," the pink/black-haired girl replied. "I'm the guest, so _I'll_ take the couch."

"I can't let you sleep on the couch! Like you said, you're my guest!"

"Well, if you _can't_ let me sleep on the couch, and I _won't_ let you sleep on the couch, then what'll we do?"

"Sleepover?" Artemis said after a long moment in thought. Shadow swallowed, unaccountably nervous for some reason.

"It's a plan," she said after a slight hesitation.

"We'll see about getting another bed or something in here tomorrow."

"Yeah, okay." They stood for a few moments in slightly uncomfortable silence. Which was broken when Shadow asked, "So, um, why was Chief Valyr so surprised to see me back there?"

"What?" Artemis asked. Then it was her turn to swallow in nervousness when the question was repeated. "Well, um, that's kind of a, uh, crazy story."

"I was born from two women, which is physically and scientifically impossible. I think I can handle crazy."

"There's a prophecy about you," she blurted out.

"Say what?"

"There isn't one about me," she explained, unable to look her friend in the eyes, "but there _is_ one about you. Sort of."

"Can you explain? Because I'm still in the dark here."

"Your arrival here is seen as a sign that fulfills a prophecy they have. I don't know all of the details, but it's something about a women of shadows, with hair of dawn and night, coming to aid the fanari's greatest champion in a time of great need and peril."

"So it's about you, too." Artemis blinked, opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.

"You know, you might be right about that," she said slowly. Again, the two girls fell silent, but it was more comfortable, more thoughtful, this time. "Well, I guess we'd better get some sleep."

"Yeah. I imagine I've got a busy day ahead of me tomorrow."

"We both do." Artemis walked over to a small chest and pulled out some clothes. "Here," she said, handing some to Shadow. "We're about the same size, so these should fit you until we can get some made for you."

"Thanks," Shadow said, taking the clothes and turning around to undress. When she dropped her coat the floor, there was a dull thud.

"What's that?" Artemis asked, curious, as Shadow pulled a small bound book out of a hidden pocket. A light clicked on in Shadow's mind when she saw the 'book;' it was the same style as the original Book of Artemis!

"It's for you," she said, turning around and holding it out. "It's a . . . journal I brought back with me. For you to write in about, well, everything."

"Well, that's pretty cool," she replied, "but why?"

"You never know," Shadow said with a secret smile. "It might become important one day."

**End Note:** And that's the end of chapter 3. The girls have found each other at last, and it seems as though destiny's on its way to being fulfilled. But things are only just starting, and who knows what the future will bring?


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or its characters, TV show or otherwise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. It will take place within the universe of the TV series (though within my alternate universe), and be after the end of said series as well as the movie Trouble in Tokyo. If you don't like yuri, don't read any further. If you don't like Teen Titans, then I have no idea how you found this story in the first place. Rated M. I do not own the character named Artemis; she is a creation of Echo of an Idiot. He has given me permission to use her in this story, though I have re-imagined her for this purpose. I do, however, own the characters Shadow (daughter of Raven and Jinx), Phase (son of Changling and Lavender), Stinger (son of Cyborg and Bumblebee), Nightfire (daughter of Nightwing and Starfire), and Lavender herself. The character of Shift is the property of DantesClover, and was created specifically for this story. The character of Vulcan is the property of Starbuck Viper. **The Book of Artemis** is a direct continuatioin of **Titans Forever**, which I'm sure all of you will appreciate.

**Author's Note:** I'm glad you guys are really liking this story. It's a lot of fun to write this. I would appreciate some reviews from those of you reading this, since it does take time and effort to keep you fanfic mongers fed. And I know it's been a while since I updated, but think about this before you complain: To keep the same level of quality you've seen to date, time and effort must be put into it; fast updates may mean poor writing. That said, I won't deliberately take my time every time, but I hope y'all will have patience in waiting for the updates to come.

**The Book of Artemis**

**Chapter 4 - Getting Started**

When Shadow awoke the next day, she was alone in the bed. She was actually grateful for that, because it gave her a moment of normality in the insanity her life was becoming. While allowing her to wake up at her own pace - something she knew wouldn't last - it also gave her time to think. Artemis tended to mumble in her sleep, or at least when she was dreaming, and some of what she said was pretty coherent - and a little embarrassing for Shadow. Deciding to forgo thinking about what she hadn't meant to overhear, she climbed out of the bed and dressed in the clothes that had been set on a chair near the bed. There was a note from Artemis pinned to what turned out to be a shirt:

_Shadow_

_ Let me know if these are a little_

_ large for you. They're some of the_

_ ones the villagers here made for_

_ me. And thanks for last night._

_ Don't worry, nothing happened._

_ Except for you holding me during_

_ a bad dream and telling me that_

_ you were there, that everything_

_ would be alright. It meant a lot_

_ to me._

_ ~Artemis_

Shadow felt herself blushing at those words. Artemis had been making such fearful, agonized sounds; all she had wanted to do was help her friend out, to chase away whatever bad dreams she'd been having. She hadn't realized that Artemis had been aware of what she'd done. Picking up the clothes, she found that while the shirt was back with three-quarter length sleeves, the pants were a charcoal gray capris-like garment with a small one-inch slit cut into the inside and outside of each leg. And when she slipped the shirt on, she found there was a hood attached to it. _That's pretty cool_, she thought. The shoes looked like that cool elven footwear in some fantasy games, only in black with gray striping. It felt a little strange not to be wearing any undergarments, though she'd never been big enough to actually _need_ a bra. Walking out the door, she found herself greeted by an elder fanari. She took him to be one of the village's elders and bowed her head to him.

"Greetings and good tidings, Lady Shadow," the elder said, slowly, in English.

"Salutations and good morrows to you, Elder," she replied, surprised. "Do you know where Artemis is?"

"She is in the training field, m'lady. She should be wrapping up the early morning session now. Would you like me to escort you there?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

"It would be my honor." As he led her through the village to where the training field must be, Shadow had to ask a question.

"Isn't strange for a village elder to be serving as a guide?"

"I suppose it would be, in normal circumstances. But you are a stranger from distant lands, and are likely to be unfamilar with our land and customs. And it _is_ an elder's role to serve as a guide and educator for newcomers - and saviors."

"Oh, um, I'm . . . I'm not a savior. I'm just a hero."

"And is this not a time when heroes are needed?"

"I can see why you're an elder."

"You don't have to be an elder to gain wisdom. I've known some rather stupid elders in my time." He looked over at her. "I am Hegew Cavo. As far as the village council goes, I am in charge of the planting and harvesting. The rest of the time, I am-"

"-Planting and harvesting?" Shadow finished, drawing a chuckle from the elder.

"Indeed, Lady Shadow," Hegew replied with a chuckle.

"It is good that you have such a passion for your work," she said. "I think that those who guide but do not work are not worth following."

"Your own wisdom is not inconsiderable," he told her.

"For about ten years, I was raised in a monastary by my mothers with some monks."

"Mothers, you say?"

"Yeah, both of my parents are women."

"There is nothing wrong with that. Were you adopted, maybe?"

"Actually, no," she admitted. "They're both my biological parents."

"That is very intriguing, m'lady. How was it accomplished?"

"Nobody knows. I can't really explain, since many of the details might be hard to understand, but what I _can_ say is that when my blood was tested, it contained elements of both of my mothers in equal parts."

"That is truly interesting, m'lady. And not at all unfamiliar to me."

"Pardon?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh, um, where I'm from, saying 'pardon' is a way of asking for an explanation for something one doesn't understand."

"Ah, I see. Very clever. What you have described to me is a method of reproduction that was once used only by our shamans. You see, long ago, shamans had to remain sexually pure; they could not have physical relations with anyone they loved because it was believed, then, that to lose their 'purity' would cause them to lose their powers and ability to commune with the gods. So they created a mystical way to bear children of their own blood that would not require a physical conception. It is a method used now by those in relationships such as your mothers have."

"Does it involve a merging of energy?"

"Why yes, actually. But that is not the sole element. A deep and honest love is also required, as is a sharing of blood. Nothing extreme, mind, just a mixing of blood. An intense emotional state - usually joy or love - serves as a catalyst for this."

"Amazing," Shadow breathed, aware that she'd just solved the mystery of her birth.

"Indeed it is, Lady Shadow," Hegew agreed. He looked ahead. "Ah, here we are."

Shadow looked up and saw a group of roughly thirty young fanari, both male and female, resting on their knees, breathing hard, their gray and khaki garments drenched with sweat. At the head of the formation, but facing them, was Artemis. She was in a lotus position, but otherwise just like her 'students.' She said something in the local language, and it seemed as though everyone collapsed even further, although there was no obvious movement. Shadow thanked the elder for his help, then walked over to her friend. Artemis heard her approach and looked over, a smile brightening her face.

"Hey, there, Shad," she said, breathing a little hard. "We just got down cooling down with some stretches."

"You could've woken me up, you know," she said.

"You just got here, and you'd teleported a lot of people a long way," she replied. "You earned a little extra rest."

"Well, I _do_ appreciate it," she admitted. "But I don't want to be coddled. The only way to lessen the drain on me from doing long-distance, large group teleports is to keep trying it."

"Just don't forget to rest afterwards," Artemis told her, standing up. "If you push yourself too far too fast, you could get hurt."

"I won't forget that." Artemis looked over at her 'class' and dismissed them, though Shadow didn't understand the words. _I'm going to have to change that_, she thought, _since I'm stuck here until Artemis and I figure out how to build that stone chamber time machine._ Holding out a hand, she helped the blue-haired girl stand up.

"So what just ended?" Shadow asked.

"Physical drills," Artemis explained. "I, uh, made a series of drills using the basic training stuff I'd learned during my short time with the Teen Titans."

"That's pretty clever," the pink/black-haired girl said. "Maybe I can help there, since I have a better knowledge of those kind of training methods."

"Go for it," was the reply. The two girls started walking back to the village. "Those clothes, um, look good on you," she added, a little embarrassed.

"Um, thanks," she answered. "I didn't expect them to fit so well."

"Neither did I," Artemis muttered, too low to be understood.

"Huh?"

"Oh, um, nothing," she said, flushing a pale pink in embarrassment.

"Alright," Shadow said with a shrug. "Do you have classroom sessions?"

"We do, though the elders take care of that. They cover history, art, economics, math, and so on. I mean, they already had such learning sessions in place."

"You just expanded and organized them."

"Yeah."

"Have you thought about setting up government education classes? You know, teaching about various types of governments, their pros and cons, and the checks and balances inherent in each?" Artemis stared at her in shock. "What? You're helping an oppressed race overthrow their alien overlords, which means that you're going to have to unite the various tribes, clans, and alliances already present to be able to do so. And then you're going to have to help them establish a working government that they approve of."

"I think you mean 'we,' Shad."

"Oh, right."

"So what made you decide to come after me through time, anyway?"

"Well, to be honest, an alien showed up."

"_Another_ one?"

"No, not another oodanga; a fanari."

"Wait a minute. You mean the fanari have interstellar ships?"

"Five thousand years from now they will. And they knew how to find Earth."

"How would they even know Earth existed?" Artemis asked. Shadow gave her a long look. "Wait. You mean me? How?"

"You remember that journal I gave you? Well, it turns out that not does it still exist in the future, here on Fanar, but it's become an important historical document."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. In it, you wrote all about your time here. I don't know all of what's in it, mind you, because I didn't read it."

"Why not?"

"You told me not to. You wrote a letter to me as an introduction to the original copy of the journal - which is called the Book of Artemis by the fanari - warning me _not_ to go past that first page. And you gave me a clue of sorts to figuring out how to activate the time machine."

"Damn. That's intense."

"Very."

"So I have to write my journal, in order for you to go back through time to come help me."

"Yeah. Otherwise it won't happen, and you'll end up living and growing old here - unless you get killed."

"So me not writing it could conceivably change the future?"

"I don't know. Time travel stuff is so confusing."

"Well, I don't think I want to risk it." By now, they had reached Artemis's house, so they went inside. Artemis went and drew herself a bath while Shadow went in to the kitchen area and looked around for something to make for breakfast. She did find some tea leaves, so she set up a little fire in firepit area and hung a water-filled kettle from the wire above it. Looking in the shelves, she found some flat, cracker-like bread, some fruit in a frost-lined container - _Artemis's doing, no doubt_ - and some vegetables and salted meat. Putting a metal rack into place above the fire, she put a medium-sized pot on it, filled it with water, and began cutting up the vegetables and meat. She'd never had stew for breakfast, but doing it like this would ensure something for lunch, as well.

"Are you cooking?" Artemis called through the house.

"No, the food just decided to hop into the pot itself!" Shadow called back.

"Smartass!"

Shadow just chuckled and continued making the stew. By the time Artemis had gotten out of the tub and walked into the kitchen, Shadow had just poured the tea and filled a pair of bowls with the stew.

"Damn that smells good," she said, kneeling down at the little table in the middle of the kitchen.

"Thanks," Shadow replied. "I'm not really used to cooking with raw materials in this way, so I just put together something I couldn't screw up."

"I'm sure Phase could've managed to screw up stew," Artemis said.

"He screws up cereal," she agreed.

"Do you miss everyone?"

"Of course. Especially my moms. The first ten years of my life, they were the only family I had - other than the monks that lived in the monastery. Then we came to Jump City and I met everyone else."

"That's gotta be rough, leaving all of that behind to chase after me. I really don't have anyone to miss."

"You missed us, didn't you?"

"Not so much all of you, since not everyone liked or even trusted me. Especially Phase."

"Yeah, he's going through that whole rejection thing. Seems to blame you for me breaking up with him."

"I've never been able to figure that one out."

"Same here." They fell silent for a while, just enjoying the stew - which was actually pretty good

"So, what's next on your agenda?" Shadow asked.

"There's usually classroom sessions after morning training, then in the afternoon we do some more training, focusing on weapons drills," Artemis replied. "I use the classroom time as my free time, studying up on the things I need to know to be to live more effectively here."

"Do you think you could help with the language?"

"I did promise you a primer, didn't I? It's actually not too difficult to figure out; it's the various connotations and inflections that'll trip you up." Artemis hesitated, then said, "Thanks for coming after me. I'm glad that there's one person from back home here with me, and I'm glad that it's you."

"You're my best friend, Artemis," Shadow told her. "I'll always have your back. Even if I have to cross through time to do it."

"What about Nightfire?"

"She's more like my sister. But who says you can only have one best friend?"

"You've got a point. Now, how about we store the rest of this stew for later and get to work teaching you the local languages?"

"Sounds like a plan."

**End Note:** And there's the next chapter. Not too exciting, as far as action goes, but definitely exciting in the information it contains. You finally get to learn how Raven and Jinx managed to conceive a daughter who had both of their genes. And apparently, ancient fanari shamans had special powers of some kind. Now, kindly leave a review, please.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or its characters, TV show or otherwise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. It will take place within the universe of the TV series (though within my alternate universe), and be after the end of said series as well as the movie Trouble in Tokyo. If you don't like yuri, don't read any further. If you don't like Teen Titans, then I have no idea how you found this story in the first place. Rated M. I do not own the character named Artemis; she is a creation of Echo of an Idiot. He has given me permission to use her in this story, though I have re-imagined her for this purpose. I do, however, own Shadow (daughter of Raven and Jinx). **The Book of Artemis** is a direct continuatioin of **Titans Forever**, which I'm sure all of you will appreciate.

**Author's Note:** I'm glad you guys are really liking this story. It's a lot of fun to write this. I would appreciate some reviews from those of you reading this, since it does take time and effort to keep you fanfic mongers fed.

**A/N2:** For the past several days, I have been without internet, so I apologize for not updating anything. I was also occupied helping a friend get his first fanfic started (plus it's a collaborative effort between us). I greatly appreciate your patience in waiting, and would appreciate even more any reviews you have.

**The Book of Artemis**

**Chapter 5 - The Start of an Army**

Shadow dropped on to the modified cot that served Artemis as a couch, groaning as her stretched and worn out muscles protested the action. It'd been a week since she'd been at the village, which she had learned was called Ljior'talchay - which meant "the place where hope dreams" when translated from the local Fanari dialect into the English she was used to. She'd picked up the local language well enough, and could even hold a limited conversation now. She'd started participating in the training on her second day here, intending to join the group as a trainee until Artemis tasked her as her assistant instructor. To both of their surprise she took to instructing like a fish to water. In fact, to the dismay of the potential fanari warriors, she proved to be more of a taskmaster than Artemis. And although Artemis had done a good job setting up a range for training the fanari on the oodanga weapons, the fact that they had no way to recharge the handful they still had limited its use. So what Shadow had done was develop a crossbow using elements from the fanari short bow as well as the broken off stock of a depleted oodanga laser. Once she had explained the workings behind the crossbow - after demonstrating her impromptu prototype - Chief Kalt Valyr had the craftsmen and weaponmakers work together to recreate the crossbow using the local wood (of course).

Artemis dropped on the couch next to her, just as exhausted as she was. It was after the late afternoon training session, which involved hand-to-hand combat training as well as agility exercises. It wasn't the complexity of the exercises and patterns, it was the repetition of them that wore her out. Her blue hair was damp from sweat, and as a result was a darker shade of blue now.

"Damn, what a day," she moaned, dropping her head between her knees.

"You're telling me," Shadow agreed, wincing as she stretched out her legs and felt the tautness of the ligaments. She felt her knees pop and let out a relieved sigh.

"It's your fault, you know."

"And how is it _my_ fault?"

"_You're_ the one who wanted to intensify the training sessions," Artemis pointed out.

"But _you're_ the one who said it made sense," Shadow retorted.

"Oh, sure, bring _that_ up."

"Hey, I could have brought up the fact that you've placed yourself as the savior of the fanari."

"You just did." Sharing a chuckle, they both took a breath and let it out. "Tell you what, Shad, why don't you draw up some water and soak in it? I'll heat it up for you so you can relax."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'll take mine later."

"You, um, you could, you know, take it with me. Save you the trouble." Suddenly, neither girl could meet the other's eye, though they couldn't say why. Shadow was no stranger to homosexuality, thanks to her parents both being women, but she didn't think that was the case here. She wasn't sure, though, but didn't want to say anything because she didn't want to offend her best friend (and the only person in this time period she really knew). What she didn't know was that Artemis was thinking nearly the same thing; only the part about her parents was different. As the daughter of The Joker and Harley Quinn, Artemis (otherwise known as Hayley Quinn) actually didn't _have_ a predisposition towards insanity; her mind had been broken and warped by The Joker until she'd discovered the truth of her origins. Then she snapped for a while and left Gotham – but not before leaving her father in a near-death coma that he had yet to awaken from. In Jump City, she'd run into Shadow at the mall – and had become entranced by the gray-skinned beauty with her unique pink and black mixed hair.

Snapping themselves out of their thoughts – and blushing furiously to boot – the two still couldn't look at each other.

"I . . . I g-guess that would be alright," Artemis said hesitantly, with only a little stammer. "I-I mean, it _would_, you know, save the time it would take to, um, get more water."

"Yeah," Shadow agreed, a little too quickly. To take their minds off of the uncomfortable (yet secretly comfortable) thought of bathing together, Shadow said, "So, um, this training of this village is good and all, and we've the makings of a respectable fighting force, but . . . _can_ we liberate a world with just fifty or so fanari?"

Glad to have something different to talk about, the blue-haired girl jumped into the conversation. "No," she said, "fifty isn't enough to liberate even the outskirts of one of the local cities, much less a planet. Some the nearest villages have agreed to send fighters, according to the council."

"And by that you mean they've decided to send us what able-bodied fanari men and women they can spare for us to train."

"Exactly."

"How many are we talking about here?"

"Well, Shad, I think we're looking at about twenty new recruits – from _both_ villages."

"We are so fucked."

"You've got a better idea?"

Shadow opened her mouth to retort with a biting comeback, but nothing came out because a thought had just occurred to her.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, a finger on her chin, "I think I might. I'll tell you about it after our bath." And now they were both back to blushing.

Once the water had been poured into the tub, and Artemis had heated up, the two young women undressed. Shadow wasn't a stranger to changing in front of another girl – she and Nightfire had changed around each other in the Titan Tower's girls' locker room – but there was something different about undressing around Artemis. _To hell with it_, she thought, and slipped right out of her clothes.

"Holy shit!" Artemis exclaimed.

"Well, I got tired of being nervous!" Shadow shot back.

"Not _that_ – though I must admit I'm impressed by you doing that – but _that_," the blue-haired girl replied, pointing at Shadow's crotch. Looking down, the other girl couldn't see what she was talking about; it was just her mostly shaved pubes above her still-virgin womanhood.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I didn't your hair was _naturally_ pink and black! I thought you dyed it one color or the other."

"Oh," she replied, blushing as furiously as her gray skin would allow her to. When she looked back at Artemis, _her_ jaw dropped. Not because of the sight of the mostly naked teen (she was just now pulling her shirt off, and her pants were pooled around her feet) but because of the same thing Artemis had noticed about her.

"Okay, what?" the pale-skinned girl said, planting her hands on her hips and cocking them slightly to one side.

"Um, uh, uh."

"Focus," Artemis said, snapping her fingers. That broke through Shadow's brain lock, and she said, "So . . . you're a natural blue?"

"Blame my dad," she said. "I was born with blond hair, like my mom."

The two got into the tub, studiously avoiding looking at each other, and took their baths.

Once they'd gotten dressed and sat back down – there was supposed to be a communal meal later – Artemis turned towards her best friend.

"So. What's this idea you had earlier?" she asked.

"Oh, that. Right. Well, let's look at the problem we have," she answered. "The oodanga are a space-faring race centuries in advance of the fanari of this time."

"Right."

"The weapons available to the fanari are primitive compared to the oodanga weapons, and the fanari have no means of repairing or replenishing the weapons they steal."

"Go on."

"And, by this time next week, we'll have only seventy freedom fighters in our army – and the two of us, of course."

"Okay, that's the problem. What's your solution?"

"Forgive my impertinence, Lady Shadow, but have you taken leave of your senses?" one of the village elders said.

"I've found them, actually," she said politely, drawing a smattering of laughter.

"We _cannot_ expose ourselves! To do so would invite the oodanga to crush us in one blow!"

"That may be true, Honorable Elder," she replied, capitalizing the words. "But if we don't let fanari all over Fanar know that there is hope, hope for a future free of enslavement, then our efforts are worse than futile; they are pointless."

"She's right," Artemis said,silencing any comments. She was the one who had inspired the fanari to fight back, and had led them in several fights against their alien enslavers. "Go on, Shadow."

"We get the fastest runners from this village, and have them go to the other two villages who know of your efforts. They spread the word of what we are doing. Then the two runners we sent go to other nearby villages, while those first two villages send runners to other villages. When our runners return after visiting a second village, they give me detailed descriptions of those new villages' meeting squares, and I teleport there with Artemis. We convince, by whatever means we have to, their village leaders to join our cause and contribute no less than twenty able-bodied men and women to the cause. Then I teleport those new fighters here while Artemis works with that village to set up defenses and begin training their own fighters. And we repeat the process as often as we can."

"You know," Kalt Valyr said, rubbing his black chin in thought, "explained like that, the idea has merit." He looked at the village elders. "_Tor_ Artemis and Lady Shadow speak the truth. We have allowed _Tor_ Artemis to train our brave young men and women in how to fight. We allow her to lead them on long raids, that gain us a few lightning weapons and no food we can use. Many times, some of our new fighters return to us dead, or die soon after because of their wounds. We are too few. We can no longer be concerned with just freeing our area. The oodanga can call in their friends and kin from afar to battle us. After all, we are just fighting in this area. We are no threat elsewhere."

"But, Chieftan-"

"No more doubts!" he shouted, banging his fist on the table. The act shocked everyone, and the whole village fell into silence. The chieftan looked around. "Listen to me, my people!" he said, pitching his voice to everyone. "The time has come to _stop_ hiding! When _Tor_ Artemis came to us, we refused to listen to her, because we believed we knew better. Then some of our young ones listened to her and left with her. When they returned, two were dead – but they rest were filled with pride! Pride! We have had no pride in ourselves for a full generation now! And then a stranger came, delivered to us by unknown means, and showed this village how to regain its pride! Its honor! Now has come the time to show others how to do so! We show our kin and friends in the closest villages how to do as we have done! Then they shall show the ones closest to them! Doing this _will_ bring us notice! To the invaders as well as our kin! But freeing our _world_ cannot be done without such risk! The invaders have an _army_ to fight us with! It is time _we_ had an army of our own! The invaders will fight to hold what is not theirs! _We_ shall fight to take back what is _ours!_"

The whole village roared in approval of their chieftan's words, and the night was once again filled with celebration; but much more enthusiastically than before.

"I'm still learning this dialect," Shadow said quietly to Artemis, "but what does 'tor' mean?" Artemis blushed.

"Well," she said, drawing out the word, "it's hard to translate over to something you can understand, since it's as much a concept as a word. It is something like 'the one who shall restore the future.'"

"That's interesting," she replied. "_Very_ interesting."

"How's that, Shad?"

"Well, once we free Fanar in _this_ time, we have to go back to our present and _save_ it again."

"Oh, fuck," Artemis moaned, her head dropping to the table while Shadow just chuckled at her.

**E/N:** And, finally, after far too long, here is the next chapter of The Book of Artemis! Enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or its characters, TV show or otherwise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. It will take place within the universe of the TV series (though within my alternate universe), and be after the end of said series as well as the movie Trouble in Tokyo. If you don't like yuri, don't read any further. If you don't like Teen Titans, then I have no idea how you found this story in the first place. Rated M. I do not own the character named Artemis; she is a creation of Echo of an Idiot. He has given me permission to use her in this story, though I have re-imagined her for this purpose. I do, however, own Shadow (daughter of Raven and Jinx). **The Book of Artemis** is a direct continuatioin of **Titans Forever**, which I'm sure all of you will appreciate.

**A/N:** I'm glad you guys are really liking this story. It's a lot of fun to write this. I would appreciate some reviews from those of you reading this, since it does take time and effort to keep you fanfic mongers fed.

**The Book of Artemis**

**Chapter 6 – Forging an Army**

Shadow and Artemis ran into their first difficulty in the village of Shran. The village chieftain, an old and wizened fanari named Etaks Yks, met the two young women in the village center. Shran's tribal council was there, too.

"So," Etaks said, a hint of disdain in his voice. "_You_ are the so-called _Tor_ Artemis. You do not look as exceptional as rumors and stories make you to be."

"Your mockery shames yourself, Chieftain Yks," Artemis replied, in a calm and even voice.

"You do not speak to a chieftain in such a manner!" one of the tribal leaders snapped. Shadow's eyes flared black-lined pink and the ground in front of the aged fanar erupted in a fountain of dirt and pink/black energy. All gazes snapped to Shadow, including those of the villagers who were watching from their homes.

"She can speak however she wishes," the gray-skinned Titan said in a quiet voice. "What have you done?"

"I have kept my people safe," Etaks replied, a little shaken by the display of power.

"What good is being safe if you do not live?" Artemis asked. "What good is being alive if you spend your life hiding away?"

"You are a stranger," another tribal leader said. "You know not what our people have gone through."

"No, I don't," the blue-haired teen admitted. "But I know what _all_ of Fanar is going through. Your people are being oppressed, their spirits are being destroyed, and their hope is dying. Within another generation or two, the fanari will come to view their oppression as the way of things. Your people will become used to a life as slaves to alien overlords."

"And what do you propose?" the chieftain demanded. "Fighting? Throwing away the lives of our young men and women? For what gain?"

"Your future," Shadow put in. "Freedom is nothing without a future to fight for. Hope is nothing without a cause to believe in."

"My friend speaks the truth," Artemis said, capturing the attention again. "What hope do you have now? That things will get better one day? How will that happen? How will it come about, if nothing is done? Yes, we are asking you to risk the lives of your people. And not just those who would fight. The lives of everyone here would be put at risk. But isn't that a worthy price to pay, when what is at stake is the future your people represent? Children are an investment for the future. But what future will they have if things stay as they are? A future of slavery, of wondering when they will feel the lash of an oodanga whip."

"Already, one village has stood against the invaders," Shadow continued. "One village has chosen to stand against them, has chosen to fight for a better future. But they are just _one_ village. One village cannot hope to stand against the vast army arrayed against it. Eventually, no matter how much care is taken, the oodanga will find that village and move against it. That is the fear the other villages we have spoken to have had. But they willingly agreed to support Chief Valyr. The Valyr clan has lead the fight against the invaders ever since they came roughly three generations ago."

"Here's something you won't have known, since you seem to have severed most trade with the 'rebellious' villages," the blue-haired girl added. "Chief Valyr's children have both been killed. His son was killed protecting his friends from an oodanga hunting party that saw them as mere sport; his daughter died fighting for a future she believed in with all of her heart and soul." All had fallen silent now, and many of the village leaders looked ashamed of themselves. "He didn't force them into this kind of life, just as his father didn't force him. They all made the choices on their own. Tell me this now: how many more fanari must die before the rest of you choose to act? Isn't your own future worth fighting for?"

In the village of Onips, the two women were met with a celebration. Shran had agreed, wholeheartedly, with the goals of Chief Valyr and had even decided to cede to him overall authority of their village. Etaks Yks had been made Valyr's second and was given leave to continue running his village. The chieftain of Onips, a surprisingly young woman named Era Stahy, had heeded the words of the messenger that had visited her people, and already many volunteers. Selected warriors from Chief Valyr's contingent had traveled to Shran in order to begin training its inhabitants in the ways of war – as well as education and peace. Artemis and Shadow had both refused to let the fanari become bloodthirsty warmongers like the oodanga; not that the fanari would have allowed themselves to become so.

"Making war is easy," Artemis said to the villagers of Onips. "But the aggressor in any war is always the loser, even if they win the war. The aggressor in a war has lost to the savagery that lives in all of us. For all civilized beings, war should always be a last resort. Asking you to raise an army may seem contradictory to what I've just said, but it isn't. The oodanga began this war when the came to your world seeking war and destruction, taking what they wanted and killing those who refused to bow to their will. If we are raising an army, it is an army of liberation, not of conquest! And when we have freed your world, it will become a force of protectors, filled with warriors whose purpose will be the protection of the innocent."

In three months, Artemis and Shadow had personally visited twelve villages and convinced them to rise up to liberate their world and their people; two of the villages had a feud going on at the time, too. The two Titans spoke with as many people as they could, and Shadow's knowledge of the fanari language became like that of a native. Artemis believed, and told her friend this, that she couldn't have gotten things accomplished this fast without her. To make things easier on Shadow, since she'd been pushing herself to the limit and beyond, they made the journey from the last village back to Denuva on foot. It would take them a week and a half at best, but Artemis insisted and Shadow wasn't about to argue with her.

They were four days out from Denuva when a rainstorm came out of nowhere. Shadow easily erected a shield over their campsite, and Artemis was entranced with the effects the raindrops made on the pink and black energy field.

"Whenever rain hits the black parts, it splashes pink," she said, awed. "And it splashes black when it hits pink."

"Back home, well, back at the monastery, I'd sit out in the rain and throw up a shield just to watch the patterns and colors it made," Shadow said.

"It's funny," Artemis said. "I feel really close to you, yet I know very little about you. I mean, you've told me about how you were raised, and how your parents treat you, and some other stuff, but I don't really know much else about you."

"I didn't realize that until now, but you're right. You've shared pretty much everything about yourself with me, and I haven't shared much in return. I'm sure you've kept out some things because they aren't comfortable to talk about."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Well, like I said, I spent the first ten years of my life in a monastery. That's where my parents ended up after they vanished from Titan Tower. I was conceived during that time, too. Mama – Raven – had been nearly killed by Mom – Jinx -."

"What?! Are you serious?!"

"Absolutely. Something had happened between them back when they were both Teen Titans that drove them apart. I think Mama did something that hurt Mom bad; emotionally, that is. Then Mama left, because she felt she needed to be alone to work over whatever had happened. When she came back, eventually she and Mom had a confrontation with each other – and she let Mom beat the crap out of her. When Mama was dying in the Tower's infirmary, Mom apparently shared her energy with Mama and that healed her. It also teleported them out of the Tower and near a monastery."

"And how were you conceived?"

"Until I came here, I didn't know. But apparently fanari shamans used a special transfer of energy and life essence to conceive, since they used to be forbidden to have sexual relations. Or something like that."

"So your parents did that?"

"I'm pretty sure that's what happened. Only I don't think they were aware of what had happened, otherwise I might have had some siblings."

"What is it like, growing up in a monastery?"

"Well, they didn't have cable, so there wasn't any Saturday morning cartoons available." They shared a laugh at the quip. "Seriously, I thought it was fun. I didn't know what I missing, literally, so I couldn't miss it. I learned meditation, control, and being one with myself. I also learned martial arts as a way to strengthen my body and discipline my mind and soul."

"That's pretty deep, Shad."

"When I was ten, we left the monastery and traveled back to civilization. We made our way back to the Tower, and that's where I met my parents' friends and their kids. I was pretty shy back then, since I'd never met any other kids until that day." She yawned, worn from the day's walking. "And that's pretty much it, except for details."

"My life was pretty much the normal life for a little girl in Gotham City. You know, until my father came, murdered my mother, and kidnapped me to warp to his twisted heart's content."

"You turned out pretty well," Shadow said.

"It's all because of you," Artemis replied.

"Me? What do you mean, 'me?'"

"The first time I saw you, you fascinated me. And then we met, and I got to know you. Sort of. Being my friend, you gave me an anchor to latch my fragmenting mind onto. If it weren't for you, I honestly think I would have eventually snapped and become just like my father, more or less." She looked away, to the fire, and when she looked back, tears were falling down her face. "You . . . you saved me, Shadow. And I repaid that by turning on you and nearly killing you. Then you saved me again when you broke me out of that cell in the Titan Tower and took my place. There are only two people in my life who have ever been that selfless to me: my mom . . . and you." Shadow couldn't speak; this was overwhelming to her, but her empathy told her that Artemis was being honest.

"Artemis, I . . . I don't know what to say."

"Shadow . . . you don't have to say anything. You know what really gets me, though?"

"What?"

"That not only did you save my sanity and my life, but you followed me through time and space for no other reason than to see if I was okay, and to help me."

"I thought I'd lost you once, Artemis," she said, her voice as soft as a whisper. "When I learned you were alive, I . . . I didn't want to lose you again." She looked her best friend in the eye. "I don't know how, Artemis, but I've . . . I've fallen in love with you."

The quiet admission rocked the blue-haired girl completely; whatever she'd been expecting, she couldn't remember anymore. Someone . . . someone loved her.

"I want to be with you, and you alone," Shadow went on, speaking into Artemis's stunned silence. "You've come to mean everything to me. I thought I liked Phase, but it just didn't work out. Not romantically, anyway. I . . . I've had dreams, Artemis, and you've been in them. There's one, in particular, that sticks out to me because it was as real as this moment. I won't share it, not just yet, but I wanted you to know it was there."

"Shadow," Artemis said, bringing the girl's attention back to her.

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean it? When you said you loved me?"

"Not 'loved,' 'love,'" she corrected.

"Good."

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I love you, too."

**E/N:** Whoa.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or its characters, TV show or otherwise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. It will take place within the universe of the TV series (though within my alternate universe), and be after the end of said series as well as the movie Trouble in Tokyo. If you don't like yuri, don't read any further. If you don't like Teen Titans, then I have no idea how you found this story in the first place. Rated M. I do not own the character named Artemis; she is a creation of Echo of an Idiot. He has given me permission to use her in this story, though I have re-imagined her for this purpose. I do, however, own Shadow (daughter of Raven and Jinx). **The Book of Artemis** is a direct continuatioin of **Titans Forever**, which I'm sure all of you will appreciate.

**A/N:** I know this story is taking longer to put out than it did before, but I didn't realize how popular my KiGo would be. That said, I'll be updating this story as often as I can. Oh, and there's some lemon in this chapter.

**The Book of Artemis**

**Chapter 7 - Bringing Everything Together**

The storm cleared up a bit later, allowing Shadow to drop her barrier. That was a good thing, since it would have fallen when she fell asleep. She and Artemis kept looking at each other, and blushing when they saw the other one catch them at it. Now that they had professed their love for each other, things were a little awkward between them. Not 'things are going to be weird now' awkward, but 'I don't want to look like an idiot in front of her now' awkward. When they both realized what was going on, they looked at each other and laughed. They set up their bedrolls side-by-side, maybe a little closer than they needed to, then laid down and stared at the slowly clearing sky.

"You know," Shadow said, putting her hands behind her head, "if we can't get back to our own time, things won't be so bad now."

"How's that?" Artemis asked, looking over at her. Shadow did the same and their eyes met.

"Because now I have you," the pink/black-haired teen said quietly, unable – and unwilling – to look away. The blue-haired girl also found herself unable to look away. For a long moment, the two of them just stared at each other, not speaking. Time seemed to drop away as they started to lose themselves in the other's eyes. Then they blinked, and the spell seemed to be broken, though the feelings remained.

"I never thought I would find anyonw who would care about me like you do," Artemis told her, her voice soft. "It never occurred to me that anyone could love me. I know my mom did, before my father murdered her, but that's a different kind of love."

"I wish we had the time it would take for me to tell you why you deserve to be loved," Shadow replied. "I love you, Artemis, and I want to . . . to . . . well, you know."

"What?"

"I want to . . . have sex. With you."

"Sex? Really?

"No, not sex. I want . . . I want to make love you to you. I'm just . . . I don't want to mess up." She turned to look back at the stars. "I'm a virgin."

"That makes two of us," the other girl said, getting her attention again. "Besides, 'perfect' lovemaking only exists in imagination. Real lovemaking, I believe, is meant to be passionate, loving, and error-prone. It's . . . it's how two people can just how much they care about each other."

"That's what my mom's said when they discussed sex with me for the first time. They shared that it was an act that should only be shared between people who really care about each other, though they don't hold it against anyone who is casual about it."

"Pretty open-minded."

"Yeah." They fell silent for a moment, neither sure of the next step to take. "We, um, we don't have to do it now."

"But do you want to?"

"I . . . I don't know, to be honest. I mean, I do, but-"

"But you don't want to rush anything," Artemis finished.

"Yeah," Shadow agreed. The other girl sat up, and motioned for her to do the same. Though confused, she did so.

"Neither of us is sure we want to take that step right now," the blue-haired girl said quietly, voicing her own insecurities. "We both know there isn't a rush, that we have all of the time we could want to see how things go between us. And yet, at the same time, we want to explore this, to . . . to see what it's like. We're close friends now, and we both _just_ said 'love' to each other, saying that we want to have a deeper, closer relationship." She hesitated for a moment. "At the same time, we don't want to risk ruining our friendship if things don't work out between us or we find that we don't like it. But that's the thing right there. If we don't try it, how do we know whether we like it or not? That it's us or not? We can't accomplish anything without risk."

"You're right, Artemis," she agreed. "I love you, I do. When I'm around you, everything just makes sense to me even at the same it confuses me. I didn't hesitate to go through time to come after you. Even though I knew there was a big chance I wouldn't be able to come back, I still chose to come after you. You saved my life on that oodanga ship. How could I do less for you?"

"I couldn't stand to see someone as . . . as wondrous as you die," the other girl said. "Not even if it meant _I_ died instead. I'm nothing special, and yet you risked everything to find me."

"Don't _ever_ say you're not special!" Shadow yelled, surprising them both. "You are the most special person in my life! I don't ever want to lose you again!" Before she could go on, she found Artemis's hands on her face, and her lips on her own. Her eyes widened in surprise, then fluttered close as she responded to the kiss. Her own gray hands came up and cupped her girlfriend's face as the kiss deepened and became a way for them to say what words would always fail to convey. After what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a few moments, they broke apart the kiss and leaned back slightly, staring into each other's eyes. Nothing more was said, for nothing more needed to be said. Drawing back from the other, the two young women began undressing. Artemis unbuttoned her shirt while Shadow pulled hers over her head. Neither was wearing a bra, nor – as they stood up and slid their pants down – any underwear. It wasn't the first time they had seen each other naked, but it _was_ the first time they had seen each naked with the intention of touching and caressing that nakedness.

They came together into a passionate embrace, both moaning as bare flesh touched bare flesh. Out of their clothes and shoes, they realized that they were the same height and had the same slender, small-breasted figure. Their lips met in a slowly rising passion that was more love than lust. Without really being aware of it, they sank down to their knees, their lips locked together and their hands moving up and down each other's body. Then Artemis laid back, forcing Shadow to crawl over her to keep their lips together. The pale-skinned girl slipped her hands between them and reached up to cup her girlfriend's breasts. A low moan sounded from within the half-demon's throat at the touch, a moan that rose in pitch as the other girl teased and caress her erect nipples. That caused her to break off the kiss as she was momentarily overwhelmed by the pleasure originating from her chest, giving Artemis the chance to pitch her head up and capture one of the dark gray nubs in her mouth. Shadow cried out as she felt her girlfriend's teeth scrape her sensitive nub and bucked her hips forward on instinct, bringing their virgin womanhoods together. The contact sent a surge of spiking pleasure through both girls, making them let out a gasping moan. Taking advantage of the reprieve it had gained her, Shadow leaned down and wrapped her mouth around Artemis's throat, sucking lightly at it and making her moan and gasp. Then she moved to the hollow at the base of her throat and began licking and nipping.

When her attentions moved to Artemis's pastel-capped breasts, the blue-haired girl was writhing and twitching underneath her. She accidentally bit a nipple too hard, causing the other girl to cry out, but a quick reassurance and a shared giggle let her continue. After finishing her ministrations, she began kissing and licking and nipping her way south, the other girl's motions increasing in speed and intensity the closer she moved to that most intimate of places. Artemis's stomach and chest were heaving with pleasure and anticipation as Shadow hovered over the pink treasure before her, mesmerized. She slowly lowered her head and her lover cried out as she felt the other girl's tongue touch her. As Shadow licked, sucked, and nipped, she listened to the sounds of pleasure and ecstasy coming from her lover. It drove her crazy even as it drove her to do more and more to keep the sounds going. Desperately wanting to feel the same sensations she was giving, she turned herself around and straddled her lover's chest to place her dark gray wetness over the other girl's head – all without breaking her mouth's contact with the intimate space before her. Artemis immediately knew that was being asked of her and raised her head up as the gray-skinned teen lowered herself down. Shadow _had_ to stop for a moment as she felt the other's mouth and lips on her most intimate of spaces. A low, purring groan escaped her before she returned her attention to the task she'd been doing.

It was the dawn breaking over the horizon that woke them both up. As consciousness returned to them, they became aware of being intwined in each other's arms, underneath one of their blankets. A little shock was expected, considering it wasn't a normal situation yet, but neither freaked out.

"Morning, beautiful," Artemis said, smiling.

"I didn't realize you had a mirror in front of your face," Shadow replied, returning the smile.

"Clever comeback," the blue-haired girl said. "It was a little . . . strange . . . waking up with someone."

"But in a good way," the pink/black-haired girl agreed. Sitting up, they realized they were still naked when a breeze made them shiver. Looking around their campsite, they managed to find their clothes and shoes and got dressed. They didn't rush breakfast, since that meal would give them the energy they needed for the rest of the day.

"Last night was . . . just wow," Artemis said, smelling the wonderful aroma rising from the small kettle they'd packed.

"It was beyond 'wow,'" Shadow corrected. "I'm glad I waited until you; it was well worth the wait."

"Yeah," the other agreed dreamily.

After breakfast, they packed everything up and – combining their powers – they managed to hide all evidence of their campsite.

"I can teleport us back, you know," the gray girl said. "It wouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah, but it would get us there a little _too_ quick, you know?"

"Oh, um, yeah, yeah," she agreed, blushing. Her lover chuckled.

"You're cute when you go blushing like that."

It took them less time than they'd originally thought to walk back to Chief Valyr's village, but longer than they had hoped. The days the spent walking, talking about themselves, the situation they were in, and other things meaningful to the two. The nights were spent laying in each other's arms – clothed and not – staring at the stars and just enjoying being with one another. They did make love more than just that first time, though not every night. The sex merely enhanced the relationship they were beginning to have; it didn't define it.

When they walked into the village, much to their surprise, they were met with a celebratory air. People came up to them, cheering and shouting. Both young women were stunned to watch a village elder – a fanari woman who had to use a cane to walk most days – to a backflip. Finally, Chief Valyr managed to break through the crowd and reach them.

"Bright day to you, my friends!" he said with a bow, unable to hide his smile.

"Bright day to you, Chief Valyr," they said in unison, returning his bow.

"Chief, what's going on?" Shadow asked.

"You must come see," he said. "You would not believe the answer if you just heard it." With some effort, he lead them through the celebrating village to where Artemis's training field was. "Look," he said, gesturing. Coming even with him, the two Titans felt their jaws drop as they saw what was before them. The training field was virtually _packed_ with fanari, male and female. A few stragglers were still coming in, but a quick glance from end to end told them that there were over two hundred people standing there in semi-straight rows.

"What is all this, Chief?" Artemis asked.

"This, _Tor_ Artemis, is the result of the efforts you and Lady Shadow have made," he replied. "All of the time you've spent traveling from one village to another, speaking to their leaders, explaining the threat and risks we _all_ face, has brought this about. Before you is every eligible young adult from every village within a month's travel."

"But we didn't go to even half that number of villages," Shadow protested.

"It appears runners were sent out from one village to another, telling not only of your quest but the exploits the warriors from my own village. The successes and failures we've had. But most important of all, the _pride_ in _ourselves_ we've discovered. Those tales inspired these men and women to petition their elders for inclusion into this fight." He reached up with one hand and wiped the tears gathering in his eyes. "They have hope, now, that things _can_ get better if _they_ make it so. Representatives from each village are coming here to work out methods of trade, learn about our training, and to see if a more lasting alliance can be forged between us."

"It's more than just hope," Artemis said in realization. "More than just pride. They have a _fire_ built within them now. A desire to do what is needed _now_ in order to prepare the future for their descendants. That fire must tempered and directed properly, or the fanari could become just as bad as the oodanga – worse, possibly, with the memory of this occupation and enslavement within their history."

"We have already asked so much of you two already," Valyr said. "I do not wish to ask any more of you."

"Forgive me for interrupting, Chief Valyr," Shadow said, "but I need to say something now."

"Speak, Lady Shadow."

"Where Artemis and I come from, there are . . . unique individuals who possess magic like we do. Different, of course, as is to be expected. Many are adults who work tirelessly to protect the innocent from others like them who use such gifts selfishly. Others, like Artemis and myself, are young people, sometimes younger, who have banded together for the same reasons. We are part of a group called the Teen Titans. We call ourselves that because we are young, and when we work together we are unbeatable. Because we are devoted to the cause of peace and justice, we think nothing of sacrificing our time, effort, and energy to helping others. There is nothing you cannot ask of us that we would not be willing to do."

"Would that we all would emulate ones such as yourself," the chief said quietly. "What I ask of you is no small thing, especially in times like these. I ask that the two of you not only train this united army, but lead it as well. In the coming weeks, when the other elders arrive and we begin trying to forge this alliance, I anticipate a great many difficulties and arguments, with little being resolved. These elders need to see that their young folk are united in one cause, one ideal, in spite of their differences and beliefs. I want them to be shamed that while they are bickering and condemning one another, their youth are setting aside the issues that divide them and working together for the good of all."

"That is no small task, Chief Valyr," Artemis began.

"But it is one we will be honored to do," Shadow finished.

"We will bring everything together," they said in one voice.

**E/N:** And that's that. Shadow and Artemis have their first time together after declaring their feelings for one another, and are now the leaders of a small but eager army. And as word begins to spread to the villages and towns across Fanar, this 'army of freedom' will begin to grow. The oodanga will undoubtedly learn of it, for nothing like this can remain secret for long. Tough times are ahead, with tougher ones ahead of them. But if saving a city is hard, then freeing a world will be more difficult. But if it was easy, it wouldn't be a job for the Teen Titans.


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or its characters, TV show or otherwise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. It will take place within the universe of the TV series (though within my alternate universe), and be after the end of said series as well as the movie Trouble in Tokyo. If you don't like yuri, don't read any further. If you don't like Teen Titans, then I have no idea how you found this story in the first place. Rated M. I do not own the character named Artemis; she is a creation of Echo of an Idiot. He has given me permission to use her in this story, though I have re-imagined her for this purpose. I do, however, own Shadow (daughter of Raven and Jinx). **The Book of Artemis** is the 4th story in my 'Titans Forever' series, which began with **Raven's Story** (which also happens to be the very first fanfic I ever wrote).

**A/N:** I know this story is taking longer to put out than it did before, but I didn't realize how popular my KiGo would be. That said, I'll be updating this story as often as I can. Oh, and there's some lemon in this chapter.

**Titans Forever Series:** 1) Raven's Story, 2) Nothing Is Harder Than Love, 3) Titans Forever, 4) The Book of Artemis

**The Book of Artemis**

**Chapter 8 – Unity**

In spite of their unity of purpose, the fanari recruits were still individuals and still had pride in their own villages. They weren't as hide-bound as their elders, but some rivalry still existed. Both of the young women could see that it was mostly the result of their elders' stances, but knew that that wasn't totally to blame. Even with the help of the veteran 'troops' from their 'army' it was difficult to get the new recruits to work together. Finally, though, Shadow had had enough. When recruits from two villages with an uneasy relationship with one another got into a brawl, she lost her temper. For just a moment. A ball of pink/black energy shot between the two brawling groups and detonated, flinging them in every direction and mixing them up; she followed behind it, teleporting into the spot where her blast had occurred. No one, not even Artemis, moved. She looked around, glaring at everyone.

"Go home," she growled, stunning everyone. "I am ashamed that you're here. You came here to learn to fight for you world, yet all I see is a bunch fools only out for themselves."

"You have no right to say that to us, Outlander!" one of the antagonists yelled. Suddenly, the young woman was right in front of him. Before he could do or say anything, she'd dropped down, swept his feet out from under him, and had flipped over and landed his torso, driving the air out of him.

"I have _every_ right," she said, her tone quiet but filled with authority. "You are here to learn from _us_. You and your people are, at best, hunter-gatherers. You may fight one another, but you don't know how to wage a _war_. Neither Artemis nor I know how to fight a war, either, but we are both experienced fighters. We know how to take on tall odds and come out on top. Teaching you that will be easy enough." She stood up and held out her hand to the fanari she'd taken down. Surprised, he hesitated for a moment before taking her hand and helping her pull him up. "Teaching you _when_ to fight will be harder. The goal is to become an army, a force, of liberation."

"She's right," Artemis said, snapping out of her shock. "I'm certain that many of you would like to get revenge on the oodanga for conquering your world and enslaving your people for the past few generations. _Wanting_ revenge is natural; _taking_ it is evil. If we teach you what we know about fighting, and you get into this war with vengeance in your hearts, then you will become just like the oodanga, maybe worse. We are fighting for the freedom, the future, of this world and its people. You were attacked, and now you are defending yourselves. _That_ is what is important. If you are the aggressor in a fight, or a war, then you have lost something more important: you have lost yourself. Fighting should always be a last resort, even if there seems to be no other course of action."

They were all paying attention to her now, something that made Artemis more than a little nervous, but she wasn't about to falter now.

"This is a turning point in your peoples' history. Different tribes, different beliefs, different cultures, all coming together under one banner, for one cause. Not under one tribe's banner, or one tribe's cause, but under a _united_ banner, for a _united_ cause. And _that_ is the key word there: unity. Without unity, the fanari people will be trampled into servitude. If nothing is done now, if this fight for freedom falls apart, then in two or three more generations, your people will come to believe that being enslaved is their natural state, that it is what they are meant for. Some few of you might even still be alive in two or three generations. You would be a living embodiment of their ancestors' failures, of a future that might have been. Is that what you want? To have your descendants be nothing more than intelligent cattle for alien overlords who would use them until they died? Breeding them for no other purpose than to die working for them?"

"NO!" came a unified shout from all around the two Titans.

"Then forget about where you've come from," Artemis told them.

"Forget about your squabbling elders," Shadow added.

"The only thing you need to be thinking about is the future."

"The future that _you_ wish to see."

"That is your goal."

"That is your dream."

"To see a free Fanar, one devoted to peace and goodwill."

"To be protectors and warriors, not soldiers and conquerors."

"So, tell us: Are you ready to be more than you are?"

"To be not just individuals, but individuals of like mind and soul?"

"YES!"

"Then you are no longer from the villages you came from," Artemis responded.

"You are no longer part of any _one_ village," Shadow replied.

"You are a part of _all_ villages."

"Yet belong to none."

"You belong to the people of Fanar."

"You are their shield."

"You are their sword."

"You will be their light."

A cheer rose up from the gathered recruits, a cheer done in one voice. Impromptu as it was, Artemis's speech – and her and Shadow's dual dialoguing – hit home with all of them, brought home the point that the two women had been trying to make since they began going to other villages. They knew they would have their work cut out for them still, but with the recruits solidly behind the cause it would be easier.

It took the better part of two months for all of the elders to arrive, as some were coming from villages pretty far away. Shadow could have teleported them, but she was busy with training. Plus, Chief Valyr had wanted them to take that long in coming, so that the two Teen Titans could have as much time as possible to unite the hopeful warriors. He was stunned to realize that it had happened in less than a day. Artemis and Shadow had worked out a 'basic' training that everyone would receive, then had set up specialized training to broaden the 'army.' The far more primitive weapons of the fanari were much closer ranged than the weapons of the oodanga invaders, which meant that the freedom fighters would have to get that much closer to be effective. Neither of the two young women knew anything about conventional warfare, about long-range covering fire or fortifications – beyond what they'd seen in movies, anyway. So what they would do was train the fanari in small-unit warfare and guerrilla (a.k.a. hit-and-run) tactics. The six-legged 'furry lizards' – called 'drakkar' – that the fanari had in plentiful amounts proved to be faster and more agile than they looked, so Shadow came up with the idea of utilizing them as cavalry. There were two hundred fifty trainees, excluding Chief Valyr's contingent of already-trained warriors. Artemis and Shadow divided them into five 'companies' of fifty each. Of those five companies, three would be trained as Chief Valyr's people had been. Of the remaining two, one would be trained as drakkar cavalry while the other would be trained to use the 'heavy crossbow' Shadow had come up with a few months ago.

Of course, the six weeks it took for all of the elders to arrive was only enough time to complete the basic training and find out which of the recruits would be suited for cavalry training, crossbow training, and 'infantry' training. Chief Valyr refused to take the elders out to the training fields until all of them had arrived; this caused a lot of grumbling and even some attempts to sneak out there. Those were, predictably, stopped by Chief Valyr's warriors, who politely but firmly 'escorted' the 'wayward' guests back to the village proper. One elder tried to get there by claiming his tribesmen and women were out there and he had a right to see them; Chief Valyr himself countered by saying that only the fanari people's warriors were out there.

Finally, two days after the last elder had arrived, did Chief Valyr allow everyone to observe a training session. There were five training 'fields,' each one with fifty young men and women, along with a pair of instructors and thrice as many 'assistant' instructors. The group nearest the 'observers' was led by Artemis and Shadow, and Valyr directed the group's attention to it. Apparently, the session had just started as the two women and their assistants led the fifty warriors through a series of stretches, exercises, and basic moves. The movements were synchronous, each warrior moving as one with the one next to them, and each row moving as one with the row before and behind it. It was a stirring sight, made even more astounding when the elders realized that the groups were made up of people from every village. Each wore the same training uniform, with a patch on the left arm denoting which unit they belonged to. The morning calisthenics lasted for another two hours, before everyone broke for morning meal.

Artemis and Shadow met with all of the instructors and assistants, explaining that they would do the weapons drills right after the meal, as the afternoon would be for beginning the 'specialist' training. Receiving affirmative nods, they headed towards Chief Valyr and the gathered elders.

"Greetings, _Tor_ Artemis, Lady Shadow," Chief Valyr said, bowing his head slightly to them. They returned his greeting with deeper, more formal bows.

"And to you, Chief Valyr," Artemis replied.

"Did you stage that for _our_ benefit?" one of the elders asked haughtily. Shadow snorted, drawing shocked looks from everyone but Artemis and Valyr.

"Please," she said scornfully. "Like we would waste theatrics on a bunch of argumentative _ehskal_ like you." The insult caused dropped jaws on the parts of the elders – and approving chuckles from Artemis and Valyr.

"That's been the training routine for the past six weeks," the blue-haired girl put in, trying to remain diplomatic since Shadow had insolence down pat.

"Why have you intermingled our people so? It would make far more sense if you kept each village's people together."

"Wrong again, you half-wit drakkar. And I apologize for insulting any drakkar present."

"Keeping them isolated like that would work against our overall goal. We were impressed by the size of the contingents sent, but less than impressed with their devotion. Our goal is the liberation of _all_ of Fanar, not just specific regions. Merging each village's contingent together and then splitting them as we have allows us to leverage each village's strength."

"Tell me, _Tor_ Artemis, what is your plan for _after_ the liberation of our world? Hmm? Do you plan to make yourself our leader?"

"You know, for wise village elders, you're pretty stupid," the pink/black-haired girl retorted. "I mean, c'mon. If _that_ was her plan, she would've taken over the _oodanga_ and used _them_ to take over you. After all, they're managing a marvelous job without her right now."

"I have had enough of your insults!" one elder snarled. Shadow's eyes flashed, and a chunk of ground exploded near the shouter's feet. Jumping back, she stared in shock at the alien-looking young woman before her.

"I'm hungry, and I just spent three hours doing exercises and training," she said calmly. "I'm more than a little irritated right now, and your self-obsessed indulgence has worn out my already thin patience. You are more concerned about your _own_ villages, even though you have 'devoted' yourselves to this cause. Did you not watch your people for the past three hours? Not _one_ of them tried to out-do any of the others. The 'watchers' are no longer needed to keep problems from erupting; the recruits handle that themselves now. They don't see themselves as from one village or another anymore. They see themselves as people of _Fanar_, training to free and _defend_ their _world_. If they aren't united, the oodanga will break any force sent against them and shatter any hope of a better future."

"The men and women you have sent us are young, full of fire and pride," Artemis went on. "Naturally competitive and convinced they are invincible and wise. Yet here they are working together, helping one another, solving their own disputes without outside intervention. Yes, we punished dissent. Yes, we cemented our authority. But we also rewarded positive actions, extolled virtuous behavior, and showed we were compassionate and understanding. As the days went on, they began working problems out amongst themselves. Sometimes, this was done through small honor fights or wrestling matches where the winner was right. During the ones we witnessed, the winner didn't exult his or her victory; rather, they helped their opponent back to their feet. Eventually, they began talking things out, working out their problems without resorting to violence or arguing. So now I ask you this: if _young people_, full of the impatience and energy of youth, can do this, why can't you?"

"Because-"

"'Because' _what_?" Shadow demanded. "Because you know better? Because you've lived longer than they have? If all of that were true, then you wouldn't be letting your pride blind you to the reality of things. You've lived longer, yes, but that doesn't mean you _always_ know better. Your wisdom is based off of your own experiences, which are different than _their_ experiences because _they_ are different and so is the time they live in. That doesn't mean your wisdom and advice isn't pertinent; the core of them is. No two people will experience the same event in the same way. In _spite_ of their youth – or, perhaps, _because_ of it – they have come together much easier than older folks would have. They are old enough to make their own decisions, but young enough not to have preconceived notions or become hidebound by their own life experiences."

"Not all teachers are old, nor are all students young," Chief Valyr said. "True wisdom is not found by assuming you have all of the answers or all of the knowledge, but by realizing there _are_ things you don't know and seeking to learn them while sharing what you _do_ know." He gestured at Artemis and Shadow. "These two are as young as those they teach, but they have taught _me_ many things as well. While I believe in compromise where possible, there are times and places where one _must_ make a stand and refuse to compromise. We rule our own villages, are respected as leaders and founts of knowledge. We are rightfully proud of what we have done in our time, but we mustn't let that pride blind us to the truth that is before us. Few villages stood up against the god-like weapons and transports of the invaders. My own is one of them. When the oodanga first arrived here from the stars, we had no organized army. Of any sort. Yet if we had all banded together from the beginning, we would not be where we are now. We would be free, because no force can stand against those united in a common cause, a common ideal."

Everyone fell silent then, thoughts turning inward as the gathered elders thought over all of the remarks – including Shadow's insults. Slowly, reluctantly (for some), they came to realize that the three were right. This did not mean that they would change instantly, there was still some ways to go for them, but it was a first step towards the unity all knew they would need in the days, months, and possibly years ahead.

"All of you make good points," one elder said, bowing slightly at the waist. "You have given us all much to think about. Though I do not believe things will change quickly, I _do_ believe that they will change. I am not so prideful as to not except wisdom when I hear it, no matter the source."

After eating, Shadow and Artemis found they had a little time before the mid-morning training sessions would begin. So they took this small moment to relax with each other. Shadow lay on the bed, Artemis using her hands and powers to massage and relax the tautness of her lover's muscles. As she did so, she marveled at the changes that had come over both of them since that night in the grasslands. Tears came to her eyes whenever she considered how much Shadow cared for her, loved her. Even before either of them had known it, the gray-skinned girl had cared enough (more than enough) for her to follow her through time and space. Perhaps it _had_ been love at first sight for both them, though it had taken this long for their brains to catch on to that fact. Artemis thought Shadow was exceptionally beautiful because it wasn't just looks that made a person beautiful; it was the heart and soul under the packaging. She knew Shadow felt the same way about her, because the other girl had said so once.

As she finished massaging her lover and they changed places, Artemis felt like Shadow was the one person she would love to grow old with.

The rest of the day wasn't without its hardships, of course; they still had to deal with the competitiveness between many of the villages, though they managed to temper this into a drive to excel rather than to out-do the other contingents. As had been noted before, though, the warriors-to-be no longer saw themselves as from one specific village. The 'rivalry' between contingents was now between the groupings the two young women had organized the fanari into. The fact that only a handful of them were of the same age group as the 'outlanders' didn't factor into the equation at all. Shadow and Artemis had the respect of their charges.

As they relaxed in their home – they had both given up on thinking of it as just Artemis's house, and Chief Valyr had stopped trying to find Shadow her own place – both thought over the situation they were in, as well as their eventual (but far off) return to their original time. Artemis was writing in her journal, which would one day become THE key book of fanari culture, while Shadow was working on developing a skill new to her: sewing.

"I hope you're not expecting _me_ to wear that when you're done," Artemis said, looking up from her writing.

"Don't be dumb," Shadow replied, concentrating on her work. "This is just practice. Besides, your boobs would make hard for you to fit into this."

"Hey!"

"Well it's true."

"Don't be talking about boobs, 'Tiny Tit.'"

"Say what?"

"Just speaking the truth."

The two glared at each other, but neither glare packed any heat. After a few moments, they couldn't keep it in and burst out laughing. When they finally calmed down, they looked at each other again – and once again burst out laughing. This time actually managing to gain control of themselves, they set down what they were each doing and Artemis came over to the couch Shadow was sitting on and slid into her girlfriend's embrace. That their lips came together in a kiss was natural, as was Shadow sliding her hands up Artemis's back, under her shirt. Breaking off the kiss, the two of them stared into each others' eyes for a few short yet long silent moments.

"I love you," Shadow said softly, pulling the blue-haired girl closer to her.

"I love _you_," Artemis echoed, leaning forward enough so that their lips met once again. It was a soft, gentle kiss, one that was filled with love and the words that voice alone could not do justice. Without breaking the kiss, Artemis slipped out of her shirt and wrapped her arms around Shadow again – only to find that her love was already unclothed.

"What the hell?" she asked, breaking off the kiss. Shadow grinned hugely at her.

"I phased my clothes off," she replied mischievously.

"You sneaky little minx," the blue-haired girl said, returning the grin. "Well, shit. The only way _I_ can finish getting undressed is to get off of you."

"See you in bed, Hot Stuff," the pink/black-haired girl said, before dropping into a teleportation portal underneath her. Swearing in both English and Fanar, Artemis quickly scrambled out of the rest of her cloths and leaped over the couch for the bedroom.

"That's cheating!" Artemis said, trying and failing to glare.

"Do something about it, then," Shadow replied, her voice thick and husky. A thrill surged through the other girl and she made her way to the bed, her body moving sensuously. She crawled up onto the bed, deliberately rubbing her own body against that of her gray-skinned lover's, purposefully teasing her and enjoying the moans and gasps coming from her. She wasn't prepared for her lover's retaliation, though, because Shadow had a free shot at her ribs. The gray-skinned half-demon reached up and began tickling the other girl, a playful grin on her face. Artemis tried to scramble away from her, but Shadow wouldn't allow her to flee. The blue-haired girl had managed to twist and turn around and was trying to crawl to the foot of the bed, but she didn't make it as her pink/black-haired girlfriend 'tackled' her from behind. Her fingers sought the other girl's stomach, causing her to squeal and curl over as she tried in vain to protect her stomach. Both of them were laughing hard, and that gave Artemis an opening. Snaking her arm out, she quickly sank her fingers into the back of Shadow's knee and began wiggling them around. That caused the other girl to squeal and fall back, giving her the opportunity to scramble on top of her. She straddled her hips and pinned her arms back. Both of them were breathing hard, their chests rising and falling rather fast, grins on their faces.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Artemis asked quietly, tears of happiness gathering in her eyes.

"You walked into my life," Shadow replied just as quietly, her smile changing from one of mirth to one of love. Artemis leaned down and kissed her lover, who had raised herself up to meet the kiss. She moved her hands from Shadow's arms and braced them on the bed. Shadow reached her arms up and wrapped them around her girlfriend's neck, pulling her closer and deepening their kiss. She reluctantly broke the kiss when Artemis began moving down her, kissing and licking along the way. Shadow gasped and groaned when her lover captured one of her nipples, sucking on it. Another groan was pulled from her when Artemis shifted to her other breast. It wasn't just the sensations and feelings coursing through them that made each time they made love as intense and wonderful as that first time; it was also and mostly the love they had for each other. And they both knew that they didn't need to have sex to prove that they loved each other. After all, there had been many nights since that first time when they had just lain in bed together just holding each other. The sex, the lovemaking, was just a way for them to express their love and appreciation of each other in a way that words couldn't.

Finishing her ministrations on Shadow's breasts, Artemis kissed, sucked, and licked her way down to between her beloved's legs. Smiling, she slipped a couple of fingers inside of her and enjoyed the moan that escaped the other girl's lips as well as the slight bucking of her hips. As she moved her fingers in and out, she leaned forward and began licking and nibbling at her lover's sex. She kept up her actions for countless moments before slipping in a third finger. That proved to be more than Shadow could stand and she climaxed loudly and hard, her thighs clamping around her lover's head. When she had relaxed, Artemis crawled up to her and kissed her lovingly. For a few moments, they just lay there, holding and kissing each other.

"That . . . was intense," Shadow breathed as they broke off the kiss, after finally regaining control of herself.

"And that was just for you, Shad," the blue-haired girl replied.

"Well, then, it's time to correct that little oversight," she responded, smiling again. "Don't you agree?"

**E/N:** Sorry for the long delay with this chapter. At first, I had trouble starting and writing it due to a little writer's block. Then, when I attempted to do other stories to write in order to work past the block, they ended up being more popular than I'd thought and I just forgot. But that oversight's been corrected. I intend to be more attentive to this story, and will hopefully be working on it more. Since I don't know when I'll get internet at home, I can't update when I get done with a chapter. That said, whenever I go to town to go the library, y'all will be getting a butt-load of updates. ;D

**E/N2:** Shadow and Artemis have done the impossible, and brought together a 'small' group of freedom fighter recruits together into a unified fighting force. While proficiency is still needed, they have the core of the fanari army. And their relationship is continuing to develop and grow. But while a small region is free of the occupying oodanga, that still leaves the rest of the planet in the hands of the ape-like aliens. And, unbeknownst to our two heroines (but knownst to us), there is trouble brewing within the Free Fanari Council. Trouble that could prove devastating to the freedom fighters. Look to the next chapter to see what happens next in **The Book of Artemis**.

As always, read _and_ review.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or its characters, TV show or otherwise. This story is for entertainment purposes only. It will take place within the universe of the TV series (though within my alternate universe), and be after the end of said series as well as the movie Trouble in Tokyo. If you don't like yuri, don't read any further. If you don't like Teen Titans, then I have no idea how you found this story in the first place. Rated M. I do not own the character named Artemis; she is a creation of Echo of an Idiot. He has given me permission to use her in this story, though I have re-imagined her for this purpose. I do, however, own Shadow (daughter of Raven and Jinx). **The Book of Artemis** is the 4th story in my 'Titans Forever' series, which began with **Raven's Story** (which also happens to be the very first fanfic I ever wrote).

**A/N:** I know it's been a long time since I updated this fic, and for that I apologize. This chapter will be very different from the previous ones. You'll see why once you start reading it. ;)

**The Book of Artemis**

**Chapter 9 – Overlords**

Being a 'primitive' world, Fanar's indigenious population was composed of an extremely large variety of tribes and clans. As expected, each tribe and clan had its own rituals and traditions, though each tribe within a particular region had many of the same ones. Sometimes the differences of each clan led to warfare between them, though most of the time these 'battles' took the form of contests of physical prowess. All of this meant that there was no central region from which the oodanga invaders could control the entire planet from. Lord-Master Cirshaw therefore chose to set up his primary headquarters in what appeared to be the central meeting/trading area for the grassland tribes of the northern continent. After using the forces within his personal cruiser-type starship to secure the area and setting up a modern and (according to oodanga sensibilities) well-designed base, he divided up the rest of the continent into districts and assigned his top commanders as the overlords for each district. Once each one had secured his district, he brought in the rest of the ships of his fleet – one more cruiser-type and four escort-types – and proceeded to systematically conquer the rest of the planet. His forces had little trouble subduing the natives, since their most advanced weapons were bows and basic metalworked knives. That said, though, it wasn't as easy as many of the oodanga – the Lord-Master himself included – had first thought, since the fanari were innovative and adaptive. Especially those tribes on one of the southern continents; the oodanga had yet to conquer it, even after all of the decades they'd spent on Fanar to date.

When Artemis had been pulled through the wormhole created by the detonating reactor of Lord-Master Ghista's starship, she had been transported to the same northern continent that Cirshaw was on, which accounted for the trouble she and Shadow were having trying train and unite the tribes in that region. And now, with Shadow and Artemis becoming ever more successful in their efforts, Lord-Master Cirshaw was becoming irritated. Which, for oodanga, meant a lot of screaming, screeching, and chest-beating. Of course, that was how oodanga usually 'talked' with each other, so it was often difficult for outsiders to tell if they were irritated or not.

"Once again we've lost a patrol!" Cirshaw roared at his governing council. "To primitives barely fit for slave labor!" This was followed by a _tha-bump, tha-bump_ as he banged his large fists against his chest. The oodanga he was currently screeching at was his second-in-command, Hregah, was nearly as large as he was.

Beating his own chest, he roared back, "The hairless ones are getting bolder! And they are becoming smarter!"

"Smarter?!" Cirshaw roared in reply. "They have not mastered themselves! How can they be getting _smarter_?!" He back-handed his lieutenant, knocking the ape-like male back and down ot the ground. "We have ruled them for decades! In all that time they have only been irritants! We are the superior race! We have the superior technology!"

"But someone is _teaching_ them!" Hregah roared after he'd regained his feet. "A generation ago, Lord-Master, we were dealing with farmers and hunters! Now, we are facing amateur warriors! Weak and inferior they may be, but that does not make them less dangerous!"

"You speak the truth!" Cirshaw roared. He looked around at the rest of his lieutenants. "Have any of you any news?!"

"According to my slave-workers," Galgak roared, standing, "there is a savior! Some mysterious warrior who is showing them the ways of war! There are rumors of _another_ mysterious warrior, who is – by the words of primitives – said to possess magic!"

"Magic is just a word for technology lesser beings do not understand!" Cirshaw admonished. "Whoever these mysterious 'saviors' are, they will learn the price of opposing the Oodanga Empire of Stars!"

Lord-Master Cirshaw strode through the corridors of the palace that was his home and command center, the headquarters for all oodanga on Fanar. He had come to this primitive but resource-rich planet with just a cruiser-type ship and a squadron of escort-type ships, in addition to his flagship. Now he had a second cruiser-type and three more squadrons escort-types, as well as all of the warriors engineers they contained. The ships themselves were in orbit around the planet, with only skeleton crews aboard. And in the decades that followed, he had cemented his ownership of the planet. He wasn't just Lord-Master of the fleet and warriors under his command, nor of just this planet; by finding and claiming this resource-rich world, and enslaving its native inhabitants, he had secured a place of importance within the Oodanga Empire of Stars. By doing so, he had also become the head of his own tribe.

The Great Lord-Master of the Empire had decreed that inter-tribal warfare would cease, which meant that the usual oodanga method of ascension – challenging the tribal chieftan (aka Lord-Master) to mortal combat – was forbidden. Because of this, ambitious and aspiring oodanga males needed a new way to achieve tribal leadership. So it was decreed that each male would serve in the Oodanga Imperial Star Navy in order to earn the right to command a ship. The lowest 'rung' of the new 'ladder' was command of an escort-type starship, with command of progressively larger ships showing superiority and prowess. But commanding an individual ship was only the first step, so to speak. Commanding squadrons, battle groups, and fleets were further proof of an oodanga male's strength. An oodanga male that was in command of an escort-type ship would earn rank enough to command greater numbers of escort-types. Once he had achieved command of a squadron of escort-types, the next rank for an oodanga male was command of a fast strike ship. And so on and so forth. When an oodanga male had achieved command of a flagship, he would command nothing less than a battle group, which could vary in size from eight ships to as many as four dozen. Cirshaw was highly ambitious, though he wasn't the highest-ranking male of his tribe (when he had come across Fanar, he had commanded the minimal level of ships for a battle group). Finding a resource-rich world, by itself, would have elevated him to a prominent leadership position within the tribe. But finding a resource-rich world with a native population gave him enough honor and respect to allow him to establish his own tribe.

Conversely, of course, an inability to maintain the world and its population properly would result in a loss of prestige and honor, and leave him open to a loss of command. Not just that, but - with a sufficient loss of prestige and honor – he could also be demoted from his current command. Or, even worse, be demoted back down to commanding a squadron of escort-types. Such a massive loss of honor and prestige would forever prevent him from ascending the tribal ranking ever again, for it would seem a sign that his pedigree was inferior, and any direct offspring would possess the same genes, dooming them to forever remain low-ranked. Or would only allow them to achieve mid-level ranking (such as commanding a squadron of cruiser-types). With Fanar as the homeworld for his tribe, he would be within the lower-echelon of command of the Oodanga Imperial Star Navy. That would allow greater naval resources to be allocated to him, which would include an orbital shipyard capable of manufacturing escort-type starships. Expanding his control to the rest of the system would further increase his prestige and honor. But gaining any kind of orbital manufactury would only occur if he was able to fully pacify the planet.

He, along with most of the oodanga alpha males, knew that the Great Lord-Master's decree was a way for him to hold on to his own power, to prevent any of his subordinants from challenging him for the empire's throne. What prevented a coup attempt in spite of that ruling was the fact that the oodanga loved battle. Conqueroring worlds gave them the chance to challenge the inferior races around them, testing their mettle. Honor and glory were won in battle against a worthy foe.

Thinking about the honor and prestige he would gain from successfully controlling his world gave Cirshaw pause as he neared his personal chambers. Worthy adversaries were becoming few and far between in the sector of the galaxy the oodanga inhabited. The reason for that being the fact that the oodanga had conquered almost seventy-five percent of that sector. _Perhaps_, Cirshaw thought, _perhaps this resistance is a good thing. If these 'fanari' primitives can give my warriors – as well as myself – a worthy enough fight, I shall gain much honor. And if they prove to be a truly worthy foe, then the Great Lord-Master himself might give them consideration. If he were to choose his tribute from me as slaves as well as resources, that shall bring even more honor and prestige._ The thought made him bare his fangs in satisfaction. _And if their resistance is worthy enough, these primitives might be considered useful as cannon-fodder for war. Such a ruling would elevate me to the Great Council itself. The last time such a thing occurred was centuries ago, during my grandfather's youth._ Barging into his rooms sent the slaves within scurrying for safety. These fanari had been cowed and broken by his own hand, having offered the greatest resistance during their capture. Though they were but descendants over those who had so fiercely opposed his initial arrival, they had been more of a challenge than their ancestors.

In oodanga culture, the more of one's enemies an oodanga had at his disposal, the greater his place within oodanga society. Many worlds had given a single oodanga tribe – or an aspiring Lord-Master – great trouble, resulting in two or more tribes working together to conquer it (or them). While glory and honor could still be won by those participating, it was less than if a single tribe had won the conquest. Which was why Cirshaw's achievement had given him much prestige and respect – and although he didn't know it, his name had come (passingly) to the Gread Lord-Master's attention. In a short (for oodanga) time, he had become the master of an entire world. A world whose native population was proving to be more of a challenge than he had first thought. There was a downside to that, a negative aspect that balanced the positive aspect of attaining a higher station within the Oodanga Star Empire:

Too much resistance for too long would indicate he had reached beyond his ability, and he would not have that.

Hregah fumed as he paced around his chambers within the palace. Though it was in the nature of all oodanga to roar and yell when talking, his chieftan – Lord-Master Cirshaw – had been truly enraged by his opposition. His words about the fanari had been ill-received, even though they were filled with the truth. He knew Cirshaw had high ambitions – what oodanga male did not? - he was beginning to think that the older male had overreached this time. Their initial conquest had been easy because they had operated in a shock troop fashion. They had hit hard and fast, not giving the native species a chance to organize against them. But the primitives had been under their 'control' for roughly three of their generations, and still the planet wasn't subjugated. The Great Lord-Master had forbidden challenging a superior, with the explanation of not wishing to lose valuable warriors as well as a desire to expand the territory claimed by the Oodanga Star Empire. And with the only acceptable way of achieving a tribal command being conquest of an inferior species, or fighting against a worthy foe, Hregah's options were limited. He would not assassinate Cirshaw – not only did such a course of action not exist within oodanga culture, but it went against oodanga honor, as well – nor was he able to challenge him by oodanga law.

"Blast that fool," he growled, careful to keep his voice down. An oodanga roaring could carry quite a way, even with the walls fully shielded (acoustically). His chieftain saw the primitives' actions as a path to further glory. And while he was right, that was only one part of the issue. The resistance of their free kinsman was inspiring those fanari villages that had a minimal oodanga presence, and even those that were ruled directly by the oodanga. Even the slave contingent of the oodanga were beginning to show spirit once again. Not much, not enough to be punished even lightly, but even a little was too much. There was great danger in Cirshaw's course of action. It had been many months since the arrival of the 'savior' the slaves whispered about, but already there was increasing resistance within the various districts. And just a few months ago, a _new_ force had appeared on the scene. Hregah hadn't shared that news with his Lord-Master; judging by his reaction to the news of increasing organization among the primitives' resistance, he might have lost his life to such a disclosure. Whoever this new force was, it was affecting every fanari that heard it, giving them hope.

"I need to further research the foolish beliefs of these primitives," he growled to himself. "Perhaps the reason for their reviving hopes lies within their myths and legends. Whoever this 'Ar-te-mis' the slaves murmur about is, and whoever this new arrival is, they will regret the moment they decided to help the primitives."

**E/N:** For those of you who don't know, the term 'skeleton crew' refers to the minimum number of personnel needed to run a ship or vessel.


End file.
